Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1990

Rachael

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #5,066 Trend ↓ Falling 52%

A female given name from Hebrew, a spelling variant of Rachel first recorded in the 17th century.

Rank 2025
#5,066
among girls · ↓1,119 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
26
named Rachael · -32% vs 2024
How common
1 in 61,818
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1990
3,035 babies
All-time total
82,650
#434 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Rachael popularity over time

82,650 babies have been named Rachael since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 113 – 113 11 – #514
1890s 185 – 185 19 +64% #603
1900s 254 – 254 25 +37% #513
1910s 932 – 932 93 +267% #517
1920s 962 – 962 96 +3% #607
1930s 522 – 522 52 -46% #907
1940s 726 – 726 73 +39% #875
1950s 1,249 – 1,249 125 +72% #744
1960s 3,048 6 3,054 305 +145% #333
1970s 12,724 39 12,763 1,276 +318% #152
1980s 25,670 118 25,788 2,579 +102% #98
1990s 24,515 12 24,527 2,453 -5% #111
2000s 9,144 6 9,150 915 -63% #228
2010s 2,139 – 2,139 214 -77% #698
2020s (to 2025) 286 – 286 48 -78% #2,623

Where Rachael is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 23 0.01 outside top 500
2027 20 0.01 outside top 500
2028 18 0.01 outside top 500
2029 17 0.01 outside top 500
2030 15 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Rachael

Rachael is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #5,066 in 2025 with 26 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 82,650 American babies have been named Rachael. Its peak came in 1990, when 3,035 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Rachael stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rachael?

The median living Rachael is about 37 years old; half are between 30 and 44. An estimated 77 thousand people named Rachael are alive in the United States today.

median 37 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Rachael year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 26 #5,066 – –
2024 38 #3,947 – –
2023 57 #2,967 – –
2022 48 #3,357 – –
2021 52 #3,149 – –
2020 65 #2,623 – –
2019 80 #2,283 – –
2018 114 #1,795 – –
2017 116 #1,798 – –
2016 163 #1,424 – –
2015 185 #1,300 – –
2014 210 #1,172 – –
2013 244 #1,024 – –
2012 296 #895 – –
2011 321 #826 – –
2010 410 #698 – –
2009 491 #616 – –
2008 658 #481 – –
2007 834 #393 – –
2006 814 #393 – –
2005 797 #392 – –
2004 845 #369 6 #11,006
2003 971 #320 – –
2002 1,041 #300 – –
2001 1,304 #244 – –
2000 1,389 #228 – –
1995 2,606 #120 – –
1990 3,028 #111 7 #6,982
1985 2,761 #100 7 #5,601
1980 2,047 #142 12 #3,566
1975 1,376 #185 7 #4,665
1970 886 #313 – –
1965 217 #668 – –
1960 150 #850 – –
1955 115 #920 – –
1950 88 #969 – –
1945 55 #1,057 – –
1940 67 #875 – –
1935 50 #981 – –
1930 65 #907 – –
1925 83 #818 – –
1920 119 #664 – –
1915 96 #672 – –
1910 45 #634 – –
1905 23 #774 – –
1900 44 #513 – –
1895 26 #603 – –
1890 8 #1,080 – –
1885 8 #834 – –
1880 12 #514 – –

Famous people named Rachael

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Rachael Leigh Cook Rachael Leigh Cook American actress and model (born 1979) Contemporary
  2. 2 Rachael Carpani Rachael Carpani Australian actress (1980–2025) Contemporary
  3. 3 Rachael Harris Rachael Harris American actress and comedian (born 1968) Contemporary
  4. 4 Rachael Stirling British actress (born 1977) Contemporary
  5. 5 Rachael Ray Rachael Ray American television host (born 1968) Contemporary
  6. 6 Rachael Taylor Rachael Taylor Australian actress and model (born 1984) Contemporary
  7. 7 Rachael Yamagata Rachael Yamagata American musician (born 1977) Contemporary
  8. 8 Rachael Adams Rachael Adams American volleyball player b. 1990 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Rachael, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Rachael?

The median living Rachael is about 37 years old. Half of all living Rachaels are between 30 and 44 years old.

How many people named Rachael are alive today?

An estimated 77 thousand people named Rachael are alive in the United States, based on 82,650 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rachael mean?

A female given name from Hebrew, a spelling variant of Rachel first recorded in the 17th century.

How popular is the name Rachael in 2025?

Rachael ranked #5,066 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 26 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rachael?

82,650 babies have been named Rachael in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rachael most popular?

Rachael peaked in 1990, when 3,035 newborns received the name.

Is Rachael a boy or girl name?

Rachael is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Rachael rising or falling?

Rachael is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Rachael become more popular?

Rachael is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 15 girls named Rachael in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Rachael?

Well-known people named Rachael include Rachael Leigh Cook (actor), Rachael Carpani (actor), Rachael Harris (actor).

Names like Rachael

Names that sound and feel close to Rachael: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Rachael with similar names → More names starting with R →