Girls' name · since 1880
Rachel
573,957 babies named Rachel in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1985. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #50 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #250 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 573,957
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
573,957 babies have been named Rachel since 1880, making it today's #250 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rachel has been recorded 573,957 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #250 nationally and more common than 99% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #50 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #250 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 573,957 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rachel ranks #50 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #250 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 573,957 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #50 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #250 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 573,957
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Rachel's 573,957 recorded births place it above 99.93% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Rachel compares
573,957 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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
Rachel's all-time total is 1,526x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rachel | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 573,957 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 16,360 | 21 | 19,840 |
Rachel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Rachel splits its recorded history at 1953: 89% of all births land in the more recent half, 11% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (157 births) -- compare that against the 1985 peak of 16,360 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Rachel popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 16,360
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Rachel popularity over time - boys
1,791 total births recorded since 1899 (Rachel as boys' name)
Rachel by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (149,167 births, 26% of the file).
1990s was Rachel's strongest decade.
149,167 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Rachel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,128
1880s
2,128 births
- 1890s 3,279
1890s
3,279 births
- 1900s 3,974
1900s
3,974 births
- 1910s 10,482
1910s
10,482 births
- 1920s 14,199
1920s
14,199 births
- 1930s 12,268
1930s
12,268 births
- 1940s 13,409
1940s
13,409 births
- 1950s 16,775
1950s
16,775 births
- 1960s 26,795
1960s
26,795 births
- 1970s
1970s
77,749 births
- 1980s
1980s
146,675 births
- 1990s
1990s
149,167 births
- 2000s
2000s
68,401 births
- 2010s 21,076
2010s
21,076 births
- 2020s 7,580
2020s
7,580 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 149,167 births (26% of all-time use).
How Rachel 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 Rachel's total volume
Rachel by state
Where Rachel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 53,603 | 9.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 42,310 | 7.4% |
| #3 | Texas | | 39,873 | 6.9% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 28,248 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 27,650 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 24,268 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 22,654 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Florida | | 20,608 | 3.6% |
53,603 of 573,957 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Rachel appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rachel? ▼
Where does Rachel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Rachel most popular? ▼
Where is Rachel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Rachel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Rachel? ▼
What to do with Rachel's data
- Rachel's decade-level peak was the 1990s (149,167 total births); usage has since declined to 7,580 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Rachels (53,603 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Rachel
Nearby Names Like Rachel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rachel
Compare Rachel side by side: Rachel vs Rachael Rachel vs Rachelle Rachel vs Racheal
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rachel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Rachel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1985)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Rachel 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 August 2026.