Rashel
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "rain" or "spring shower".
Name Census estimates that about 1,151 living Americans carry the first name Rashel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rashel today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rashel births was 2008 (80 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rashel. 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 297,788 Americans
Peak year
2008
80 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,322
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Rashel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rashel from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 470 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rashel 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 Rashel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rashels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Rashel, while Illinois, Georgia, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rashel
The name Rashel has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is a feminine name derived from the Hebrew word "roshe," which means "head" or "beginning." This name is closely related to the biblical name Rachel, which has a similar meaning and spelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rashel can be found in the Book of Jeremiah, a book in the Hebrew Bible. In Jeremiah 31:15, the prophet laments over the matriarch Rachel weeping for her children who were taken into exile. This biblical reference suggests that the name Rashel has been in use for centuries and holds significance in Jewish tradition.
During the Middle Ages, the name Rashel gained popularity among Jewish communities across Europe and the Middle East. It was often used as a variant spelling of Rachel, reflecting regional linguistic differences and variations in pronunciation.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Rashel Varnhagen (1514-1569) gained recognition as a prominent Jewish woman scholar and poet in Italy. Her works explored themes of faith, love, and the human experience, making her an influential figure in Renaissance literature.
Another historical figure bearing the name Rashel was Rashel Leah Lucena (1590-1668), a Jewish writer and scholar from Spain. She was known for her expertise in Hebrew poetry and her contributions to the intellectual and cultural life of the Sephardic Jewish community during the 17th century.
Moving forward in time, Rashel Blumen (1824-1909) was a German-Jewish writer and activist who advocated for women's rights and social reform. Her works addressed issues of gender equality, education, and the role of women in society, making her a notable figure in the feminist movement of the 19th century.
In the 20th century, Rashel Lubitz (1901-1999) was a Polish-American artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her abstract works and contributions to the art world. Her sculptures and paintings explored themes of identity, spirituality, and the human experience, earning her numerous accolades and exhibitions throughout her career.
These examples illustrate the rich history and cultural significance of the name Rashel, which has been carried by influential individuals across various fields, from literature and scholarship to art and activism, throughout the centuries.
People
Rashel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rashel 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
Rashel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rashel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,151 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rashel 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 297,788 US residents.
Is Rashel a common name?
We classify Rashel as "Rare". It ranks above 91% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,192 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rashel most popular?
The single biggest year for Rashel was 2008, when 80 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rashel is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rashel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rashel 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.