Total births
573,957
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.
- #246
- among girls today
- 573,957
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
573,957 babies have been named Rachel since 1880, making it today's #246 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rachel has been recorded 573,957 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #246 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.
- #246 among girls today
- 573,957 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 99% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Rachel is currently the #246 girls' name in America, more common than 99% of girls - 573,957 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #246
- among girls today
- 573,957
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
Rachel vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#246
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Rachel was born in this single decade.
1985
Single peak year
16,360 babies were named Rachel in 1985 - its busiest year on record.
How Rachel compares
573,957 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Rachel's all-time total is 1,503x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rachel | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 573,957 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 16,360 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1985
Current rank
#246
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
California share of Rachel's total US births 9.3%
Even split
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? ▼
573,957 babies have been named Rachel since 1880. It currently ranks #246 among girls. The peak year was 1985 with 16,360 births.
When was Rachel most popular? ▼
Rachel was most popular in the 1990s decade with 149,167 total births. The single peak year was 1985.
Where is Rachel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Rachel are California (53,603 births), New York (42,310 births), Texas (39,873 births).
How long has the name Rachel been used? ▼
Rachel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Rachel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rachael, Rachelle, Racheal, Racquel, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- 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 Rachel
Nearby Names Like Rachel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rachel
Rachael Girl
#3892 82,469 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 Rachel side by side: Rachel vs Rachael Rachel vs Rachelle Rachel vs Racheal
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rachel
Selena #245
59,887 births · Peak 1995
Kimberly #247
846,393 births · Peak 1970
Reagan #244
65,739 births · Peak 2016
Faith #248
147,851 births · Peak 2003
Mariana #243
45,887 births · Peak 2005
Miriam #249
117,910 births · Peak 1924
Diana #242
368,487 births · Peak 1957
Gracie #250
84,121 births · Peak 2007
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. "Rachel: #246 Girls' Name - 573,957 Births, Peak 1985." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/rachel. 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 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 June 2026.