Rahcel
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "ewe" or "female sheep".
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the first name Rahcel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rahcel today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rahcel births was 1985 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rahcel. 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
120
~ 1 in 2,856,286 Americans
Peak year
1985
16 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1995 SSA rank
#15,156
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Rahcel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rahcel from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 92 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
Rahcel 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 Rahcel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rahcels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rahcel
The name Rahcel is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Rachel, which is derived from the biblical matriarch of the same name. The name Rachel is believed to have originated from the Hebrew word "rāḥēl," which means "ewe" or "female sheep."
In the Book of Genesis, Rachel is described as the beloved wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She is portrayed as a beautiful and fertile woman, but also as someone who struggled with infertility for many years before giving birth to her sons. The name Rachel has been associated with beauty, fertility, and perseverance since ancient times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rachel is found in the Hebrew Bible, which is believed to have been written between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE. The name has been consistently used throughout Jewish history, and it has also been adopted by various Christian communities.
In the Middle Ages, the name Rachel became popular among European Jews and was sometimes spelled as "Rahcel" or "Rachelle." During the Renaissance period, the name gained further popularity due to its association with the biblical figure and its perceived beauty.
Notable individuals named Rachel or Rahcel throughout history include:
1. Rachel (c. 1700 BCE), the biblical matriarch and wife of Jacob, as mentioned in the Book of Genesis.
2. Rachel of Lesbos (c. 330 BCE), a Greek poet and philosopher known for her lyric poetry.
3. Rachel (c. 1st century CE), a Jewish woman mentioned in the New Testament who was among the first followers of Jesus.
4. Rachel Félix (1821-1858), a French actress and courtesan who was a prominent figure in Parisian society during the 19th century.
5. Rachel Carson (1907-1964), an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book "Silent Spring" sparked the modern environmental movement.
While the name Rahcel is a less common spelling, it shares the same rich history and cultural significance as the more traditional spelling of Rachel. Throughout the centuries, the name has been associated with beauty, fertility, perseverance, and strong female figures in various religious and cultural traditions.
People
Rahcel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rahcel 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
Rahcel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rahcel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 120 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rahcel 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 2,856,286 US residents.
Is Rahcel a common name?
We classify Rahcel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 128 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rahcel most popular?
The single biggest year for Rahcel was 1985, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rahcel is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rahcel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rahcel 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.