How Many People Are Named Rachel?
An estimated 491,323 people in the United States have the first name Rachel. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #86 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 38 years old, and Rachel peaked in popularity in 1985 with 16,438 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Heather (485,383).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Rachel as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Rachel paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Rachel is overwhelmingly female, 1,791 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Rachel has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
491,323
About 1 in 698 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
38
years old
Peak Year
1985
16,438 births
Total Registered
574,486
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Rachel
Rachel is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 574,486 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Rachel as a male name
Ranked #13,636 in 2018
5 male births in 2018
Peak: 1989 (106 births)
Rachel as a female name
Ranked #247 in 2024
1,285 female births in 2024
Peak: 1985 (16,361 births)
Rachel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Rachel span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 149,424 babies were registered. Rachel has declined significantly from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Rachel by Decade
How has Rachel tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,128 | 0 | 2,128 | |
| 1890s | 3,284 | 5 | 3,279 | |
| 1900s | 3,979 | 5 | 3,974 | |
| 1910s | 10,526 | 44 | 10,482 | |
| 1920s | 14,274 | 75 | 14,199 | |
| 1930s | 12,366 | 98 | 12,268 | |
| 1940s | 13,464 | 55 | 13,409 | |
| 1950s | 16,850 | 74 | 16,776 | |
| 1960s | 26,880 | 86 | 26,794 | |
| 1970s | 78,041 | 291 | 77,750 | |
| 1980s | 147,339 | 661 | 146,678 | |
| 1990s | 149,424 | 260 | 149,164 | |
| 2000s | 68,502 | 120 | 68,382 | |
| 2010s | 21,084 | 17 | 21,067 | |
| 2020s | 6,345 | 0 | 6,345 | |
Rachel by State
Birth registrations for Rachel span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska. On average, about 11,026 Rachels were registered per state.
Rachel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Rachel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Rachel
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Rachel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rachel?
We estimate approximately 491,323 people named Rachel are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 698 Americans share this first name.
Is Rachel a common name?
Rachel is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 574,486 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Rachel most popular?
Rachel reached peak popularity in 1985, when 16,438 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Rachel is approximately 38 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Rachel a female name?
Rachel is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Rachel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Rachel Smith, Rachel Johnson, Rachel Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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