girl's name
Rachael
RAY-chul
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 97,021
Northern Ireland
#461
2017 births
Rachael respells Rachel, meaning ewe, and the animal is the point — Rachel is a shepherd in Genesis, and Jacob works fourteen years for her, which is one of the longest courtships in scripture.
- Rachael is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1990, when 3,035 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 127,518 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Rachael over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 113 |
| 1890s | 185 |
| 1900s | 254 |
| 1910s | 932 |
| 1920s | 962 |
| 1930s | 522 |
| 1940s | 726 |
| 1950s | 1,249 |
| 1960s | 3,054 |
| 1970s | 12,763 |
| 1980s | 25,788 |
| 1990s | 24,527 |
| 2000s | 9,150 |
| 2010s | 2,139 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 286 |
What Rachael means
Rachael means ewe, a female sheep. The Hebrew rachel names the animal directly, and in a pastoral society that was a compliment rather than a plain description.
Where Rachael comes from
Rachael respells Rachel, the Hebrew Rachel — a ewe. Genesis introduces her as a shepherd, which makes the name a fitting one rather than an arbitrary one, and Jacob serves seven years for her, is given Leah instead, and serves seven more. She dies bearing Benjamin, and her tomb near Bethlehem is still a pilgrimage site. The -ael spelling is a modern English variant with no basis in the Hebrew and is much the smaller of the two.
Rachael in use
Rachael peaked in the United States in 1990, when 3,035 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in two of the seven markets we track — 3859th in England and Wales on 6 births and 4997th in the United States on 26 — across 97,021 lifetime births. Rachel, the standard spelling, holds far more volume.
How popular is Rachael?
In 2025, Rachael was given to 26 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Rachael is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Rachael
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Rachael also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rachael over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Rachael
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Rachael in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Rachael
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Rachael — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Rachael
What does the name Rachael mean?
Ewe, a female sheep — the Hebrew rachel.
Why is a sheep a compliment?
In a pastoral society it named something valuable, and Rachel is introduced in Genesis as a shepherd.
Is it Rachael or Rachel?
Rachel follows the Hebrew. Rachael is a modern English variant and much the smaller of the two.
How popular is Rachael?
4997th in the United States, down from a 1990 peak of 3,035 births.
Is Rachael a girl's or a boy's name?
Rachael is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Rachael?
Rachael has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Rachael?
Rachael is usually shortened to Rae.
Is Rachael a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rachael currently ranks #3,859 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.