Rachel vs Abigail
How Rachel and Abigail compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
Abigail
Female · Hebrew
Meaning: "Father Rejoices."Some Variants Include Abagail, Abaigeal, Abbey, Abbie, And Abby. Diminutive, Gail, Also Exists.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Rachel (girls) vs Abigail (girls), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Rachel | Abigail |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1985 — 16,361 girls | 2003 — 15,932 girls |
| Peak rank | #13 | #6 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #250 (1,225 births) | #41 (4,941 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 479,579 | 383,135 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 14,180 | 78,822 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Rachel reached 16,361 US births in 1985 — 429 more than Abigail's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Rachel births | Abigail births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Abigail | 11,631 | 11,686 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name list.
Rachel — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | #36 | 2,880 |
| 2 | New Jersey | #53 | 1,130 |
| 3 | Alaska | #132 | 19 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | #161 | 634 |
| 5 | Utah | #179 | 241 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →