Rachel as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Rachel

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The baby name Rachel is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced RAY-chəl (IPA: /ˈreɪtʃəl/).

Rachel is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Female

Syllables: 2.0

Origin: Hebrew

Pronunciation: RAY-chəl (IPA: /ˈreɪtʃəl/)

What is the meaning of the name Rachel ?

The baby name Rachel is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced RAY-chəl (IPA: /ˈreɪtʃəl/).

Rachel is Hebrew in Origin.

Rachel derives from Hebrew Raḥel (רָחֵל), meaning “ewe,” a symbol of gentleness and fertility. In the Hebrew Bible, Rachel is the beloved wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, a matriarch whose story shaped the name’s enduring appeal across Jewish communities. The imagery of pastoral beauty and devotion gave the name a warm, timeless aura that translated readily into many languages.

Use spread into wider Christian Europe during the Reformation, when biblical names flourished in English-speaking countries. In the United States and the UK, Rachel enjoyed strong popularity in the late 20th century and has remained familiar and classic. International variants include Rahel (German/Scandinavian), Rakel (Nordic), Raquel (Spanish/Portuguese), Rachele (Italian), Rachela (Polish), and Rakhil/Rahil (Slavic/Arabic transliterations). English spellings Rachael and French-influenced Rachelle also appear. Common short forms are Rae, Ray, and Rach.

Rachel has the following similar or variant Names

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Actor · Born 1986 · South Korea

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Rachel Ward

Actor · Born 1957 · United Kingdom

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Actor · Born 1982 · United States

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Actor · Born 1987 · United States

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Rachel Blanchard

Actor · Born 1976 · Canada

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Rachel Hurd-Wood

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Rachel Ticotin

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Rachel Skarsten

Actor · Born 1985 · Canada

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Rachel Korine

Actor · Born 1986 · United States

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Rachel Stevens

Actor · Born 1978 · United Kingdom

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Rachel Mwanza

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Rachel Hunter

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Name	Last Name(s)	Mother	Mother famous for	Fame Level	Father	Father famous for	Fame Level
Rachel	Sutherland				Donald Sutherland	television actor	★★★★★
Rachel	Pollack				Sydney Pollack	television actor	★★★★★
Rachel	Weiss	Kathleen Turner	television actor	★★★★★
Rachel	Samberg	Joanna Newsom	television actor	★★★★★	Andy Samberg	television actor	★★★★★

Rachel – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country	Gender	Year	Rank	Born	of
Ireland	Girls	2025	#1	—	874
BI		0	#12	1	425
KR	Girls	0	#12	4	572
MT		0	#13	32	1,767
IL	Girls	0	#16	3,780	11,648
BF	Girls	0	#17	1	315
BW		0	#18	2	960
NA		0	#18	16	2,537
NA	Girls	0	#19	460	7,146
SG	Girls	0	#21	2,573	18,916
SG		0	#21	417	11,010
HT	Girls	0	#23	1	950
MO		0	#25	28	2,706
KR	Boys	0	#27	1	897
BN		0	#29	4	2,297
BI	Girls	0	#31	3	726
PS	Girls	0	#33	1,717	10,981
MV	Girls	0	#34	2	2,021
CM		0	#35	21	2,592
NL	Girls	2014	#36	39	73
MT	Girls	0	#36	156	3,773
ID		0	#38	2	2,238
CN	Girls	0	#42	802	8,829
CN		0	#42	44	3,857
PH		0	#45	52	5,607
LU		0	#52	15	2,830
PR		0	#54	2	1,497
CM	Girls	0	#56	1,519	11,671
BW	Girls	0	#59	100	4,216
CY		0	#59	2	1,632
IL		0	#60	398	6,291
TW		0	#60	41	4,523
HK	Girls	0	#62	2,282	16,104
MO	Girls	0	#64	247	7,056
AO		0	#66	11	2,729
PS		0	#67	184	5,692
New Zealand	Girls	2006	#69	44	96
JP		0	#69	9	4,057
IN		0	#70	2	2,963
CR		0	#72	90	5,526
MY		0	#74	322	12,352
ID	Girls	0	#79	20	3,319
QA		0	#80	21	7,011
HK		0	#81	412	8,483
BG		0	#82	1	1,799
ZA	Girls	0	#82	5,678	25,928
BN	Girls	0	#83	24	5,459
JM		0	#88	6	3,714
PH	Girls	0	#88	430	13,098
TW	Girls	0	#95	220	8,139
SD		0	#101	2	2,130
KW		0	#103	14	5,216
CY	Girls	0	#105	17	3,755
OM		0	#105	12	6,215
HU		0	#111	5	1,675
Norway	Girls	2024	#117	5	444
MU		0	#117	20	3,613
MY	Girls	0	#120	2,722	24,821
EC		0	#121	1	2,502
LU	Girls	0	#123	65	4,850
AE		0	#127	51	10,220
Switzerland	Girls	2024	#129	7	1,786
PA		0	#130	9	3,797
GR		0	#132	4	3,911
Belgium	Girls	2024	#136	50	424
BN	Boys	0	#139	1	6,332
JO		0	#139	2	2,158
EE	Girls	0	#142	1	1,888
QA	Girls	0	#149	175	15,378
PR	Girls	0	#150	12	3,171
BW	Boys	0	#153	2	4,685
Canada	Girls	2024	#155	140	2,795
AO	Girls	0	#160	50	4,575
Sweden	Girls	2022	#175	5	1,568
MU	Girls	0	#176	184	8,539
NL	Girls	0	#176	2,233	5,933
MT	Boys	0	#179	1	4,064
UY		0	#181	2	2,477
CZ		0	#183	4	3,154
GH	Girls	0	#183	176	6,973
CR	Girls	0	#185	532	11,342
JP	Girls	0	#187	59	6,592
AR		0	#189	5	2,915
DK		0	#189	15	5,198
RU		0	#192	3	3,641
LT	Girls	0	#200	1	1,904
JM	Girls	0	#201	59	7,507
AE	Girls	0	#202	407	20,968
France	Girls	2021	#203	238	3,185
NG	Girls	0	#207	1,503	15,093
HU	Girls	0	#210	14	3,308
PL		0	#212	1	2,600
OM	Girls	0	#217	184	15,987
GR	Girls	0	#218	25	6,293
United States	Girls	2024	#222	1,285	8,487
NG		0	#222	43	5,926
GH		0	#223	21	5,396
AL	Girls	0	#224	4	4,141
BG	Girls	0	#226	6	3,559
IR		0	#231	1	4,221
NL		0	#231	171	2,481
MO	Boys	0	#232	3	5,842
PT		0	#232	15	4,161
BD		0	#239	3	5,992
ZA		0	#242	210	14,421
EC	Boys	0	#246	1	3,322
NA	Boys	0	#246	8	6,830
AO	Boys	0	#249	1	5,568
EC	Girls	0	#253	6	3,650
TW	Boys	0	#253	4	7,111
KW	Girls	0	#254	282	19,177
PA	Girls	0	#265	243	9,861
DK	Girls	0	#268	49	7,429
SA		0	#269	27	10,560
GR	Boys	0	#273	1	6,912
HR	Girls	0	#293	2	3,687
JM	Boys	0	#293	1	6,876
PE		0	#295	16	6,350
KZ	Boys	0	#296	1	6,578
Canada	Boys	1995	#298	6	1,834
JO	Girls	0	#303	23	7,570
BR		0	#305	41	5,969
CZ	Boys	0	#305	1	6,530
GT		0	#305	10	5,948
CZ	Girls	0	#307	35	5,378
KZ	Girls	0	#309	12	5,862
France	Boys	1978	#322	4	1,433
CN	Boys	0	#328	4	9,639
SD	Girls	0	#332	14	7,678
PL	Girls	0	#345	10	5,096
Spain		0	#347	106	2,326
GH	Boys	0	#357	5	8,138
Finland	Girls	0	#364	28	1,368
BO		0	#367	15	6,868
MU	Boys	0	#369	1	8,477
BD	Girls	0	#372	15	8,413
MX		0	#379	35	8,339
PT	Girls	0	#379	73	7,952
Austria	Girls	0	#380	41	1,885
CL		0	#384	28	6,867
JO	Boys	0	#388	2	7,057
YE		0	#398	1	8,639
RU	Girls	0	#402	97	11,913
PH	Boys	0	#403	6	11,440
Germany		0	#405	33	2,542
EG		0	#406	7	6,387
UY	Boys	0	#413	1	5,922
Spain	Girls	0	#430	801	5,561
CL	Girls	0	#435	545	14,098
GT	Girls	0	#441	65	7,500
BH		0	#456	98	17,937
SD	Boys	0	#466	1	10,523
CO		0	#471	10	7,768
LB		0	#480	182	13,263
UY	Girls	0	#490	21	6,731
IQ	Girls	0	#492	13	11,303
IR	Girls	0	#493	38	8,334
GT	Boys	0	#499	1	7,625
PA	Boys	0	#502	4	9,305
HK	Boys	0	#503	25	12,905
CR	Boys	0	#504	7	10,188
CM	Boys	0	#506	45	12,054
RU	Boys	0	#520	7	12,621
LY		0	#523	13	12,703
BR	Girls	0	#531	507	12,708
PS	Boys	0	#532	17	10,655
BO	Girls	0	#536	76	9,488
SA	Girls	0	#540	421	25,931
AR	Girls	0	#550	50	8,289
BD	Boys	0	#565	12	10,045
IR	Boys	0	#565	1	10,162
IT		0	#566	150	4,183
IN	Girls	0	#575	57	13,121
IL	Boys	0	#580	28	10,983
Germany	Girls	0	#587	268	4,949
MX	Girls	0	#593	862	17,781
BO	Boys	0	#622	1	9,244
Finland	Girls	2026	#625	115	3,895
SY		0	#675	54	11,684
PE	Girls	0	#677	279	14,861
SG	Boys	0	#682	16	17,960
IQ	Boys	0	#694	4	13,071
QA	Boys	0	#694	14	18,093
CL	Boys	0	#697	4	13,390
IT	Girls	0	#709	1,010	9,415
KW	Boys	0	#753	17	18,755
BR	Boys	0	#782	4	12,213
TN		0	#786	44	13,765
OM	Boys	0	#866	16	17,948
United States	Boys	2018	#880	5	7,242
EG	Girls	0	#880	80	14,742
CO	Girls	0	#901	178	16,140
EG	Boys	0	#919	7	15,035
PE	Boys	0	#925	2	14,506
NG	Boys	0	#926	26	16,906
DZ		0	#931	246	20,130
NL	Boys	0	#940	12	5,873
MX	Boys	0	#971	12	16,355
CO	Boys	0	#979	3	15,656
MA		0	#1,027	102	20,986
IN	Boys	0	#1,031	9	16,750
ZA	Boys	0	#1,064	115	25,619
MY	Boys	0	#1,078	34	25,439
AE	Boys	0	#1,080	13	22,615
TR		0	#1,159	53	19,440
IT	Boys	0	#1,455	17	10,046
SA	Boys	0	#1,574	41	28,008

Rachel is popular in 90 countries — most recent births per country:

France

Ireland

Norway

Scotland, United Kingdom

Canada

Belgium

Flanders, Belgium

Wallonia, Belgium

Switzerland

United States

Sweden

Brussels, Belgium

England & Wales, United Kingdom

New York City (White, non-Hispanic), United States

New York City (Hispanic), United States

New York City (Asian & Pacific Islander), United States

New South Wales, Australia

New Zealand

Austria

Germany

Spain

Finland

New York City (Black, non-Hispanic), United States

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