Rachal
Female name derived from Hebrew meaning "ewe" or "little female lamb".
Name Census estimates that about 1,231 living Americans carry the first name Rachal. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rachal today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rachal births was 1986 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rachal. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 278,436 Americans
Peak year
1986
59 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2008 SSA rank
#19,766
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Rachal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rachal from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 483 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rachal by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Rachal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rachals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Louisiana, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Rachal, while Pennsylvania, New York, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 30 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rachal
The name Rachal is believed to have originated from the Hebrew language and culture, with its roots dating back to ancient times. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "rachel," which means "ewe" or "female sheep." It is a biblical name, appearing in the Old Testament as the name of the beloved wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.
In the Book of Genesis, Rachel is portrayed as a beautiful and cherished woman who struggled with infertility for many years before giving birth to Joseph. Her story is central to the narrative of the Israelites and their journey to the Promised Land. Rachel's name has since become a symbol of love, devotion, and maternal sacrifice.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rachal can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient Jewish religious manuscripts dating back to the third century BCE. The name was also mentioned in various rabbinic literature and Jewish historical records throughout the centuries.
Historically, several notable figures have borne the name Rachal or its variants. One of the earliest was Rachel of Tarsus, a Christian martyr from the third century CE, who was revered for her unwavering faith and courage in the face of persecution.
In the Middle Ages, Rachel de Lunel, a 13th-century Jewish scholar and poet from Provence, France, gained recognition for her contributions to Hebrew literature and her wisdom in interpreting sacred texts.
During the Renaissance period, Rachal Ruysch (1664-1750), a Dutch artist and naturalist, became renowned for her exquisite still-life paintings and her expertise in preserving and studying anatomical specimens.
In the 19th century, Rachal Bartlett (1837-1904), an American writer and activist, played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement and advocated for educational reforms.
More recently, Rachal Leigh Cook (born 1979), an American actress, rose to fame for her roles in films such as "She's All That" and "Josie and the Pussycats," showcasing her talent and versatility on the big screen.
People
Rachal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rachal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rachal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rachal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,231 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rachal going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 278,436 US residents.
Is Rachal a common name?
We classify Rachal as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,323 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rachal most popular?
The single biggest year for Rachal was 1986, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rachal is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rachal a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rachal in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.