Rachel

Rachel: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “ewe”
Origin: Hebrew
Say it: RAY-chəl · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

From Hebrew Rahel meaning 'ewe'. In the Bible, Rachel is the wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

Hebrew names English names Names meaning animal Names meaning faith Classic names Biblical names International names

How popular is Rachel?

2024386 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Rachel in 20241,285

2024 rank#246 girls

Peak year1985

Total US babies since 1880574,486

Rachel is fading: recent use is about 56% of its level ten years before.

Names like Rachel

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Raquelewe · Hebrew
Raeewe · English
Rochelewe · Hebrew
Rachaelewe · Hebrew
Rachelleewe · Hebrew
Rachealewe · Hebrew
Elizabethmy God is an oath · Hebrew
Elianamy God has answered · Hebrew

Rachel questions

What does the name Rachel mean?

Rachel means "ewe". It comes from Hebrew. From Hebrew Rahel meaning 'ewe'. In the Bible, Rachel is the wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

Is Rachel a boy or girl name?

Rachel is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Rachel?

1,285 US babies were named Rachel in 2024. Its peak year was 1985.

How do you pronounce Rachel?

Rachel is usually pronounced RAY-chəl.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.