boy's name
Rigel
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 661
Rigel is a boy's name with 2 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 19 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 2016, when 34 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 174,520 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1976.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Rigel over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 21 |
| 1980s | 67 |
| 1990s | 91 |
| 2000s | 128 |
| 2010s | 219 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 116 |
How popular is Rigel?
In 2025, Rigel was given to 19 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Rigel 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 Rigel
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Rigel also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rigel over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Rigel
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Rigel — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Rigel
How popular is the name Rigel?
In 2025, Rigel was given to 19 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Rigel a girl's or a boy's name?
Rigel is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Rigel?
Rigel has 2 syllables.
When was Rigel most popular?
Rigel peaked in 2016, when 34 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Rigel a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rigel currently ranks #3,761 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.