2000
#12,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Rachel
From the Hebrew name "Rachel" meaning "ewe," likely used as a surname for sheep farmers or shepherds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,123 Americans carry the last name Rachel. That puts it at #15,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,448 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rachel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rachel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,448
Census rank
#15,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,851 bearers of the surname Rachel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rachel, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rachel
Rachel is a surname of Hebrew origin, derived from the biblical name "Rachel" meaning "ewe" or "female sheep". It is believed to have originated as a surname among Jewish communities in the Middle East and Europe during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded use of Rachel as a surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in various records and manuscripts from England and Germany. One notable mention is in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, which lists a "Robertus Rachel" as a landowner.
In the 14th century, the surname Rachel can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, England, where a "Johannes Rachel" is listed as a taxpayer in 1332. During this period, the name was also present in parts of France, particularly in the region of Alsace, where it was often spelled as "Rahel" or "Raehel".
The Rachel surname has a strong association with Jewish communities throughout history. In the 16th century, the name appears in records of Jewish families residing in various parts of Europe, including Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. One notable individual was Rabbi Shlomo Rachel (1510-1585), a renowned scholar and author from Krakow, Poland.
In the 17th century, the name can be found in the records of Jewish communities in England, particularly in London. One notable example is Elias Rachel (c. 1650-1720), a prominent merchant and philanthropist who was involved in the establishment of the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London.
As Jewish communities spread further across Europe and later to the Americas, the Rachel surname traveled with them. In the 18th century, there are records of individuals with the surname in places like Amsterdam, where a merchant named Jacob Rachel (1720-1795) established a successful trading business.
Other notable individuals with the Rachel surname include Sir Solomon Rachel (1818-1901), a British banker and philanthropist who was knighted for his contributions to the Jewish community in London, and Joseph Rachel (1839-1917), a American rabbi and author who served as the first president of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Throughout its history, the Rachel surname has maintained its connections to the Jewish faith and culture, while also being adopted by non-Jewish families in various parts of the world. Its origins can be traced back to the biblical name, reflecting its deep-rooted significance in Jewish tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rachel
Among Census respondents with the surname Rachel, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rachel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rachel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.8% · 1,106
- Black or African American29.4% · 544
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 87
- Two or more races3.8% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rachel
Rachel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,398
+53 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 656 places
2020
#15,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,851
-547 bearers (-22.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 2,436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,181 | 2,345 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,837 | 2,398 | 0.81 | +53 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 656 places |
| 2020 | #15,273 | 1,851 | 0.62 | -547 bearers (-22.8%) | Down 2,436 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rachel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,837 | #15,273 | -19.0% |
| Count | 2,398 | 1,851 | -22.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.62 | -23.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rachel bearers went from 2,398 to 1,851 (-22.8% change). The surname moved down 2,436 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,837 to #15,273.
FAQ
Rachel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rachel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,123 living Americans carry the surname Rachel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,448 residents.
How common is Rachel?
Rachel ranks #15,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,851 people with the surname Rachel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rachel.
Has Rachel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rachel went from 2,398 recorded bearers to 1,851. That is a decrease of 547 (-22.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,837 to #15,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Rachel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rachel, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rachel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.8% (1,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rachel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.8%), Black (29.4%), Hispanic (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rachel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rachel mean?
From the Hebrew name "Rachel" meaning "ewe," likely used as a surname for sheep farmers or shepherds. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rachel (0.62 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Rachel?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Rachel is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.