How Many People Are Named Richelle?
An estimated 7,667 people in the United States have the first name Richelle. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 44 years old, and Richelle peaked in popularity in 1969 with 281 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Richelle as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Richelle paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
7,667
About 1 in 44,705 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
100.0% confidence
Average Age
44
years old
Peak Year
1969
281 births
Total Registered
8,447
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Richelle
Richelle is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 8,447 total births registered, 100.0% were female.
Richelle as a female name
Ranked #13,138 in 2024
7 female births in 2024
Peak: 1969 (281 births)
Richelle in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,854 people with the first name Richelle, which placed it at #2,904 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Richelle was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 7,854 people with this name in that snapshot, 0.3% were male and 99.7% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 100.0% of the time.
Census Count
7,854
people with this name
Census Rank
#2,904
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
2.60
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Richelle was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (62.92%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (14.63%) and Asian and Pacific Islander (9.19%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Richelle in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Richelle.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 62.92% | 4,942 |
| Black | 14.63% | 1,149 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 9.19% | 722 |
| Hispanic | 7.65% | 601 |
| Two or More Races | 4.26% | 335 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.35% | 106 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Richelle: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Richelle span from the 1940s to the 2020s, covering 9 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 2,096 babies were registered. Richelle has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Richelle by Decade
How has Richelle 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.
Richelle by State
Birth registrations for Richelle span all 34 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Pennsylvania, New York. The lowest are in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Idaho. On average, about 155 Richelles were registered per state.
Richelle + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Richelle as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Richelle
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Richelle: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Richelle?
We estimate approximately 7,667 people named Richelle 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 44,705 Americans share this first name.
Is Richelle a common name?
Richelle is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 97.3% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 8,447 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Richelle most popular?
Richelle reached peak popularity in 1969, when 281 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Richelle is approximately 44 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Richelle in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 7,854 people with the first name Richelle. That placed it at #2,904 in the published Census first-name tables, or 2.60 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Richelle was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Richelle?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Richelle was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 0.3% male and 99.7% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Richelle?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Richelle was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (62.92%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (14.63%) and Asian and Pacific Islander (9.19%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Richelle a female name?
Richelle is predominantly female. 100.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Richelle have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Richelle peaked in 1969, and the average living bearer is about 44 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Richelle Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Richelle Smith, Richelle Johnson, Richelle 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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