Girls' name · since 1942
Richelle
8,456 babies named Richelle in U.S. Social Security records since 1942, with the highest year being 1969. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,858 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,209 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,456
- born since 1942
- 1970s
- peak decade
Yes -- Richelle is the #10209 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 8,456 recorded since 1942.
Social Security Administration records show Richelle recorded 8,456 times among girls since 1942, holding rank #10209 nationally today, ahead of 41% of girls, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1942 to 2025.
- #1,858 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #10,209 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 8,456 born since 1942
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Richelle ranks #1,858 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,209 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 8,456 born since 1942, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1,858 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,209 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,456
- born since 1942
- 1970s
- peak decade
Richelle's 8,456 recorded births place it above 97.43% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
34 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Richelle compares
8,456 Top 11% higher than 89% 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
Richelle's all-time total is 22x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Richelle | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 8,456 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 281 | 21 | 19,840 |
Richelle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Richelle's SSA record in two at 1985 and the more recent half accounts for 41% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 59%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1942, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1969 peak of 281, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Richelle popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1942–2025
- Peak year (1969)
- 281
- Annual births at peak, across 84 years of records
Richelle by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (2,096 births, 25% of the file).
1970s was Richelle's strongest decade.
2,096 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Richelle births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 61
1940s
61 births
- 1950s 409
1950s
409 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,518 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,096 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,941 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,444 births
- 2000s 625
2000s
625 births
- 2010s 289
2010s
289 births
- 2020s 73
2020s
73 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 2,096 births (25% of all-time use).
How Richelle 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 Richelle's total volume
Richelle by state
Where Richelle concentrates geographically, total births since 1942
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,164 | 13.8% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 527 | 6.2% |
| #3 | New York | | 499 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 423 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 422 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Texas | | 300 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Florida | | 264 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Washington | | 228 | 2.7% |
1,164 of 8,456 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 34 reporting states.
Richelle appears in 34 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Richelle? ▼
Where does Richelle sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Richelle most popular? ▼
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What to do with Richelle's data
- Richelle's decade-level peak was the 1970s (2,096 total births); usage has since declined to 73 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Richelles (1,164 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 Richelle
Nearby Names Like Richelle
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Richelle
Compare Richelle side by side: Richelle vs Richard Richelle vs Ricki Richelle vs Ricky
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Richelle
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Richelle: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1969)
Similar record span (~83 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, 1942–2025 (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 Richelle 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.