Rechelle
A feminine given name derived from Rachel, meaning "ewe" or "female sheep".
Name Census estimates that about 565 living Americans carry the first name Rechelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rechelle today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rechelle births was 1970 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rechelle. 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
565
~ 1 in 606,645 Americans
Peak year
1970
35 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2005 SSA rank
#18,543
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Rechelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rechelle from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 208 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rechelle 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 Rechelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rechelles live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rechelle
The name Rechelle is a feminine given name that originated from the French language. It is a variation of the name Rachel, which is derived from the Hebrew name Rahel, meaning "ewe" or "female sheep." The name Rachel is found in the Old Testament of the Bible, where she was one of the wives of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.
The name Rechelle emerged as a French variant of Rachel, likely during the Middle Ages when French was the dominant language in parts of Europe. The addition of the "e" at the end of the name was a common practice in French names to make them sound more feminine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rechelle is found in the 13th century French epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose" (The Romance of the Rose), written by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. In this work, a character named Rechelle is mentioned, although it is unclear if this was a fictional name or based on a real person.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Rechelle. One of the earliest was Rechelle de Rochefort, a French noblewoman who lived in the 14th century. She was known for her involvement in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
Another notable Rechelle was Rechelle de Mézières, a 16th-century French writer and scholar. She authored several works on religious and philosophical topics and was a prominent figure during the Renaissance period.
In the 18th century, Rechelle de Villeneuve was a French novelist and playwright. She is best known for her contribution to the development of the fairy tale genre, with works such as "La Belle et la Bête" (Beauty and the Beast).
Moving into the 19th century, Rechelle Ferrier was a French painter and illustrator who specialized in portraiture and genre scenes. She was a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts and exhibited her works at the renowned Paris Salon.
Lastly, in the 20th century, Rechelle Levert was a French-Canadian actress and singer. She appeared in several films and stage productions, and her vocal talents earned her recognition as a prominent cabaret performer in Montreal during the 1950s and 1960s.
While the name Rechelle may not be as common as its counterpart Rachel, it has a rich history and has been borne by notable individuals throughout various periods and cultures, primarily in France and French-speaking regions.
People
Rechelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rechelle 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
Rechelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rechelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 565 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rechelle 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 606,645 US residents.
Is Rechelle a common name?
We classify Rechelle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 628 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rechelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Rechelle was 1970, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rechelle is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rechelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rechelle 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.