Rechel
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "ewe" or "female sheep".
Name Census estimates that about 242 living Americans carry the first name Rechel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rechel today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rechel births was 2021 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rechel. 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
242
~ 1 in 1,416,340 Americans
Peak year
2021
19 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,399
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Rechel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rechel from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 64 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
Rechel 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 Rechel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rechels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rechel
The name Rechel is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Rachel, which means "ewe" or "female sheep" in Hebrew. It is derived from the biblical matriarch Rachel, who was the beloved wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin in the Book of Genesis.
The name Rachel has its roots in ancient Hebrew culture and is believed to have been in use since the time of the biblical patriarchs, around the 18th century BCE. It was a popular name among ancient Israelites and is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rachel is in the Book of Genesis, where Rachel is described as being beautiful and deeply loved by her husband Jacob. The story of Rachel's struggles with infertility and her eventual giving birth to Joseph is a significant part of the biblical narrative.
Throughout history, the name Rachel has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the most famous was Rachel Leah Varnhagen (1771-1833), a German-Jewish writer and salonnière who hosted influential literary and intellectual gatherings in Berlin.
Another notable Rechel was Rachel Carson (1907-1964), an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book "Silent Spring" is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. Her work raised public awareness about the harmful effects of pesticides and inspired policies to protect the environment.
Rechel Lurie (1890-1936) was a Russian-American writer and editor who played a significant role in promoting Yiddish literature and culture in the early 20th century. She co-founded the Yiddish literary journal "Di Tsukunft" and wrote several books, including "Der Veltbrand" (The World on Fire).
Rechel Krinsky (1927-2012) was a Canadian philanthropist and community leader who dedicated her life to supporting Jewish education and causes. She co-founded the Rechel and Shloime Krinsky Institute for Torah Study and was instrumental in establishing schools and educational programs in North America and Israel.
Rechel Blumberg (1842-1892) was a Russian-Jewish writer and translator who played a significant role in introducing Russian literature to Jewish readers. She translated works by authors such as Fyodor Dostoevsky and Ivan Turgenev into Yiddish, making them accessible to a wider audience.
People
Rechel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rechel 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
Rechel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rechel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 242 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rechel 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 1,416,340 US residents.
Is Rechel a common name?
We classify Rechel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 248 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rechel most popular?
The single biggest year for Rechel was 2021, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rechel is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rechel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rechel 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.