Girls' name · since 1971

Rahel

Since 1971, U.S. Social Security records show 511 babies named Rahel, peaking in 1996. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#11,690 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#8,007 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
511
born since 1971
2010s
peak decade

511 babies have been named Rahel since 1971, making it today's #8007 girls' name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rahel has been recorded 511 times among girls since 1971, currently ranked #8007 nationally and more common than 54% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1971 to 2025.

  • #11,690 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #8,007 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 511 born since 1971
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rahel ranks #11,690 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,007 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 511 born since 1971, peaking in the 2010s.

#11,690 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#8,007 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
511
born since 1971
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%53.7%
Rahel vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Rahel's 511 recorded births place it above 83.83% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

2 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.

How Rahel compares

511 Top 45% higher than 55% 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

Rahel's all-time total is 36% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Rahel Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 511 376 567,345
Peak-year births 23 21 19,840

Rahel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Rahel splits its recorded history at 2002: 56% of all births land in the more recent half, 44% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1972 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1996 peak of 23 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Rahel popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1996)
23
Annual births at peak, across 55 years of records
0510152025 197119861992199820042010201620222025 13

Rahel by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (136 births, 27% of the file).

2010s was Rahel's strongest decade.

136 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.

Rahel births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 136 births (27% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Rahel 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 Rahel's total volume

Rahel vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -8, 19%-20, 13.9%-29, 8.6%-101, 2.9%-27, 7%-39, 4.9%-33, 6.7%-13, 12.7%-41, 8.4%-58, 6.7%-29, 6.6%-38, 6.7%-20, 6.6%-100, 7.6%-52, 5.7%Rahel-55, 4.5%Rahel
Rahel vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Rahel by state

Where Rahel concentrates geographically, total births since 1971

Geographically diffuse
Top 2 states by recorded births for the name Rahel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
21 4.1%
#2 Texas
5 1.0%
California share of Rahel's total US births 4.1%
Even split

21 of 511 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Rahel?
Since 1971, Social Security records show 511 babies named Rahel. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #11,690 of 72,339 girls' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #8,007 of 17,297 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1996, with 23 births.
Where does Rahel sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rahel ranks #11,690 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,007 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Rahel most popular?
Rahel was most popular in the 2010s decade with 136 total births. The single peak year was 1996.
Where is Rahel most popular?
The top states for the name Rahel are California (21 births), Texas (5 births).
How long has the name Rahel been used?
The SSA has tracked Rahel since 1971 -- 55 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Rahel?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rahma, Rahaf, Raha, Rahmah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Rahel's data

  • Rahel's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (136 total births) through the 2020s (54) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Rahels (21 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 Rahel

Nearby Names Like Rahel

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rahel

Names with a similar popularity rank to Rahel

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Rahel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1971–2025 (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 Rahel 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.