Given name & surname
Rachel
“ewe”
Rachel is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “ewe.”
Original Hebrewרחל
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “ewe.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
In English usage, Rachel developed from Ῥαχήλ.
The story
In biblical stories, Rachel is associated with Jacob's wife.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Rachel appears in Genesis 29:6, Genesis 35:19, Jeremiah 31:5 and 1 other passage.
- Genesis 29:6
- Genesis 35:19
- Jeremiah 31:5
- Matthew 2:18
From biblical name research
Rachel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 575,748
- 1,791 boys · 573,957 girls
- Most popular year
- 1985
- 16,437 babies
- 2025
- 1,225
- #250 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,225 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 250 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 20.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 16,360 in 1985. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (312). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 493,726 as a first name in 2020; 1,851 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Rachel’s family of names
In English usage, Rachel has a diminutive in Ray. Rachel shares a linguistic root with Raquel. In English usage, Rachel has a related form in Rachael.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Rachel has relatives in 38 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
49 related names in 38 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 27
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Raydiminutive · English
- Raediminutive · English
- Rachellevariant · French, English
- Rashellvariant
- Rachellvariant
- Rachaelvariant · English
- Rahelvariant · German, Turkish
- Rachealvariant · English
Show 19 moreShow fewer
- Acheldiminutive · ceb
- Rakelvariant · Icelandic, Danish
- Rechellvariant
- Raychelvariant
- Rashellevariant
- Raychellevariant
- Raechellvariant
- Raechelvariant
- Rachelevariant · Italian
- Rachelannevariant
- Racchellikely variant
- Raeraediminutive · English
- Achingdiminutive · ceb
- Icheldiminutive · ceb
- Rachdiminutive · English
- Rachilvariant
- Rachelivariant
- Rachelcevariant
- Rechavariant · German
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 40
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Raqueldoublet · Spanish, English
- Rahilrelated form
- RacquelEnglish
- RahilaHausa
- RahelaRomanian
- RachylEnglish
- રાહેલequivalent
- راحيلequivalent
Show 32 moreShow fewer
- राहेलequivalent
- Ռաքելequivalent
- Raĥeloequivalent
- РашельRussian
- РечелRussian
- РакельRussian
- РахильRussian
- רייטשעלborrowing · Yiddish
- RachelaPolish
- Raonaidrelated form · Scottish Gaelic
- רחלYiddish
- Râchénrf
- RāheraMāori
- ΡέιτσελGreek
- RaghnaidScottish Gaelic
- RailiEstonian
- RáchelHungarian, Czech
- AlaakkilliGreenlandic
- LāhelaHawaiian
- RachelėLithuanian
- Ῥαχήλsource · Ancient Greek
- ΡαχήλGreek
- RaakelFinnish
- RaahelEstonian
- RaĥelEsperanto
- RacʼhelBreton
- RəhiləAzerbaijani
- RáhelHungarian
- RáicheálIrish
- RaakkelFinnish
- RaakeliFinnish
- RakulFaroese
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Rachel
- Rachel CarsonAmerican marine biologist and conservationist (1907–1964)
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussexmember of the British royal family and Duchess of Sussex since 2018born 1981
- Rachel WeiszBritish actress (born 1970)
- Rachel McAdamsCanadian actress (born 1978)
- Rachel MaddowAmerican television news host and political commentatorborn 1973
- Rachel ZeglerAmerican actress (born 2001)
- Rachel CorrieAmerican anti-war and human rights activist1979–2003
- Rachel BilsonAmerican actressborn 1981
- Rachel GriffithsAustralian actressborn 1968
Characters named Rachel: Rachel Green (American TV Sitcom Friends), Rachel Berry (the television series Glee), Raven (DC Comics character), Rachel Dawes (The Dark Knight Trilogy character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Rachel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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