Rashele
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly Arabic.
Name Census estimates that about 38 living Americans carry the first name Rashele. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rashele today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rashele births was 1989 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rashele. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rashele. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
38
~ 1 in 9,019,851 Americans
Peak year
1989
9 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1989 SSA rank
#8,557
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Rashele: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rashele from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 22 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rashele 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 Rashele during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rashele
The name Rashele finds its origins in the Arabic language, deriving from the word "rashal," which means "messenger" or "envoy." This name's roots can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.
Rashele was a name commonly used among the early Arab tribes, particularly those located in the regions of modern-day Saudi Arabia and surrounding areas. It was often associated with individuals who served as messengers or envoys for their respective tribes or leaders.
While there are no definitive historical records of the name appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, some scholars suggest that the name may have been used during the early years of Islam, as the concept of messengers and envoys held significant importance in the religion's teachings.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Rashele can be found in the writings of the famous Arab historian and geographer, Al-Masudi, who lived in the 10th century AD. He mentioned a individual named Rashele ibn Al-Hasan, who was an envoy sent by the Abbasid Caliph to negotiate with a rebellious governor in the region of Khurasan.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Rashele, including:
1. Rashele Al-Andalusi (1035-1096), a renowned poet and scholar from the Andalusian region of Spain during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization.
2. Rashele ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), a renowned historian, philosopher, and sociologist from present-day Tunisia, best known for his influential work, "The Muqaddimah."
3. Rashele Al-Ghuri (1438-1516), a Mamluk Sultan of Egypt who played a significant role in defending the region against the Ottoman Empire's expansion.
4. Rashele Pasha (1715-1787), an Ottoman statesman and military commander who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1782 to 1783.
5. Rashele Al-Shami (1860-1943), a Syrian poet and writer who contributed significantly to the Nahda, the Arab literary renaissance of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
These individuals, among others, have carried the name Rashele throughout various periods in history, reflecting its enduring presence and cultural significance within the Arabic-speaking world.
People
Rashele + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rashele 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
Rashele: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rashele?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 38 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rashele 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 9,019,851 US residents.
Is Rashele a common name?
We classify Rashele as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rashele most popular?
The single biggest year for Rashele was 1989, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rashele is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Rashele in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rashele a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rashele 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.
Is Rashele still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rashele in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Rashele can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Rashele?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.