Given name

Rahab

“a trustworthy and helpful woman”

Rahab is used as a given name. One Hebrew interpretation is “a trustworthy and helpful woman.”

Original Hebrewרחב

Meaning & origin

What it means

One Hebrew interpretation is “a trustworthy and helpful woman.”

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.

How it developed

From Hebrew רָחָב (racháv).

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2007. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

In the Bible

In the Bible, the name Rahab appears in Psalm 87:4.

  • Hebrews 11:31
  • Matthew 1:5
  • Ruth 4:20
  • Psalm 87:4

From biblical name research

Rahab through the years

Babies since 1880
42
0 boys · 42 girls
Most popular year
2025
9 babies
2025
9
#10,724 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
—
Too few births to compare
02462025Highest share 20255.6
Rahab in U.S. Social Security birth records, 2007–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 10,724 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 297 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Rahab’s family of names

In English usage, Rahab has a conventional equivalent in the Greenlandic form Laannguaq. In English usage, Rahab has a conventional equivalent in the Hawaiian form LAHAPA. Rahab has a related form in Rahaba.

Walk Rahab’s family in the name graph

RahabRahabaRahabahRahabbRahabeLahapaרחבLaannguaq

Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 4

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Across languages 3

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

See also 1

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

Similar names

If you love Rahab, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Hebrew · Modern

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70CommonRising fast

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Briella is a feminine given name from Hebrew.

63FamiliarEasing

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Tirsa

“pleasant”

0Not recently recorded

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Eliana

“The Lord answers our prayers”

89Very commonRising fast

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Ioana

Ioana is a feminine given name from Hebrew. It is used in Romanian.

11Very rare

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Rahab’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Rahab

A sister for Rahab