Total births
82,469
Girls' name · since 1880
Rachael
Rachael has 82,469 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1990 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3892
- among girls today
- 82,469
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 78%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Rachael is the #3892 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 82,469 recorded since 1880.
Rachael has 82,469 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3892 as of the latest data, more common than 78% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #3892 among girls today
- 82,469 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 78% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Rachael is currently the #3892 girls' name in America, more common than 78% of girls - 82,469 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #3892
- among girls today
- 82,469
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 78%
- more common than other girls
Rachael vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3892
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 78% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
31% of everyone ever named Rachael was born in this single decade.
1990
Single peak year
3,028 babies were named Rachael in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Rachael compares
82,469 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Rachael's all-time total is 216x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rachael | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 82,469 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,028 | 48 | 19,840 |
Rachael's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Rachael splits its recorded history at 1953: 95% of all births land in the more recent half, 5% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1884 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1990 peak of 3,028 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Rachael at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1990
Current rank
#3,892
Active since
1880
Rachael popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 3,028
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Rachael popularity over time - boys
181 total births recorded since 1968 (Rachael as boys' name)
Rachael by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Rachael's strongest decade.
25,670 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Rachael births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 113
1880s
113 births
- 1890s 185
1890s
185 births
- 1900s 254
1900s
254 births
- 1910s 932
1910s
932 births
- 1920s 962
1920s
962 births
- 1930s 522
1930s
522 births
- 1940s 726
1940s
726 births
- 1950s 1,249
1950s
1,249 births
- 1960s 3,048
1960s
3,048 births
- 1970s
1970s
12,724 births
- 1980s
1980s
25,670 births
- 1990s
1990s
24,515 births
- 2000s 9,144
2000s
9,144 births
- 2010s 2,139
2010s
2,139 births
- 2020s 286
2020s
286 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 25,670 births (31% of all-time use).
How Rachael compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Rachael's total volume
Rachael vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Rachael by state
Where Rachael concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 7,017 | 8.5% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 5,050 | 6.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 4,934 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Texas | | 4,718 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 4,513 | 5.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 3,585 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Florida | | 3,378 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 3,310 | 4.0% |
California share of Rachael's total US births 8.5%
Even split
7,017 of 82,469 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Rachael appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rachael? ▼
82,469 babies have been named Rachael since 1880. It currently ranks #3892 among girls. The peak year was 1990 with 3,028 births.
When was Rachael most popular? ▼
Rachael was most popular in the 1980s decade with 25,670 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Rachael most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Rachael are California (7,017 births), Pennsylvania (5,050 births), New York (4,934 births).
How long has the name Rachael been used? ▼
Records for Rachael go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Rachael? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rachel, Rachelle, Racheal, Racquel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Rachael's data
- Rachael's decade-level peak was the 1980s (25,670 total births); usage has since declined to 286 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Rachaels (7,017 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Rachael
Nearby Names Like Rachael
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rachael
Rachel Girl
#246 573,957 births
Rachelle Girl
#3182 33,933 births
Racheal Girl
10,520 births
Racquel Girl
#13701 4,762 births
Rachell Girl
#3475 3,976 births
Compare Rachael side by side: Rachael vs Rachel Rachael vs Rachelle Rachael vs Racheal
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rachael
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Rachael: #3892 Girls' Name - 82,469 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/rachael. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Rachael draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.