Rachael is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Rachael means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Rachael across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Rachael has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Rachael is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “ewe”. a variant spelling of Rachel.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 82,650 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 4,702 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 4,113 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 562 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 2,252 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 3,210 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Rachael per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1990 (3,035/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (721/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1991 (254/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1991 (112/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (87/yr).
Rachael has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1990, when it ranked #227 nationally (given to 3,348 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1990s.
Raquel · Racquel · Rachal · Raguel · Rocquel · Raqual · Rachyl · Richael
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