Rachel | Mumsnet

trainboundfornowhere · 2023-10-14T21:01:43+00:00

I’m wondering what others think of the name Rachel? It’s not a name I had even considered till a few nights ago when I dreamed I had twins called Rachel and Ellen so I wondered what others thought?

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theduchessofspork · 16/10/2023 22:20

DontcallachildRachel · 14/10/2023 22:07

As a 57 year old Rachel
PLEASE DONT

It is an awful name. Boring and drab.
A very common conversation with every Rachel I meet is how much we all hate the name
Never met an adults who says- I couldnt think of a better name - so glad I am called Rachel.

I don’t think this is a universal experience!

Rachel is like Catherine, Anna, Frances, Sarah etc - it’s just a very classic nice name

Also Rachel is quite unusual these days, so it couldn’t really feel dull

theduchessofspork · 16/10/2023 22:13

Really like it

JaninaDuszejko · 16/10/2023 15:25

It's a classic name and glad to see you are considering the correct spelling. Rachael is a misspelling (presumably because people mix it up with Michael?) that has become popular for some reason and Racheal is just an abomination.

heldinadream · 16/10/2023 15:12

You just made me laugh OP, my two girls are Rachel and...Felicity!
Both grown-up now and no complaints about their names, which they both seem to like and both names suit them too.

Original poster

trainboundfornowhere · 16/10/2023 15:08

Thank you for your replies. If it is a girl as (DH and I have chosen not to find out) then definitely going with Rachel. We had half heartedly agreed on a girls name that neither of us disliked but didn’t love either. I mentioned the dream to him and he asked if I liked Rachel and Ellen. DH then said he liked Rachel too and both of us prefer it to our first name choice Felicity.

OP posts:

RachAndProud · 15/10/2023 13:32

DontcallachildRachel · 14/10/2023 22:07

As a 57 year old Rachel
PLEASE DONT

It is an awful name. Boring and drab.
A very common conversation with every Rachel I meet is how much we all hate the name
Never met an adults who says- I couldnt think of a better name - so glad I am called Rachel.

I'm Rachel, often shortened to Rach, and I love my name.

A very sweeping statement to say we all hate our name.

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 15/10/2023 13:22

Lovely.

RachelSTG · 15/10/2023 11:39

DontcallachildRachel · 14/10/2023 22:07

As a 57 year old Rachel
PLEASE DONT

It is an awful name. Boring and drab.
A very common conversation with every Rachel I meet is how much we all hate the name
Never met an adults who says- I couldnt think of a better name - so glad I am called Rachel.

Hi, pleased to meet you. Love my name - mid 30s

RachelSTG · 15/10/2023 11:38

Love the name, as it's mine! Wouldn't change it.

TheFeistyFeminist · 15/10/2023 10:35

My daughter loves being a Rachel. She was the only one she knew for a long time and all of a sudden there are three in her school year. We know a couple of lovely adult Rachel/Rachael people too.

No-one shortens it and gets away with it, she loves her whole name.

coffeemachinedescale · 15/10/2023 10:29

I don't disagree with you @toastofthetown. It's more I think that there are only a small number of girls' names that wouldn't be dated to any particular period, so if that's the goal then there is only a tiny handful of names to choose from.

mynameisRachelandIloveit · 15/10/2023 10:29

It's my name and as per my user name, I really love it. I'm 55 and haven't really met that many Rachels/Rachaels during the course of my life, maybe ?10.

Katypp · 15/10/2023 10:25

It us a constant source of surprise to me that people can't see the bigger picture when it comes to names.
Do they really think that 20 years ago anyone would be declaring Percy or Agetha 'gorgeous'?!
And arguing that named like Rodney, Sharon etc will never make a comeback?
Certain names are tied to decades, that's for sure. My eldest was born in 1993, the era of one-syllable boys names. Everyone was named Sam, Josh, Tom, Ben etc. Personally I think a 30-year-old Josh looks a bit silly, but there you go.
Likewise the first era of -ie girls names. I work with loads of Sophies, Katies and Rosies, which sound very infantile names for professional women to me.
All girls now seem to be either ridiculous cutesy shortened names or the most ugly 'old lady' name as it it's a competition.
Posters always say that by the time all the Evies, Ellies and Posies are adults the names will not look silly but I disagree as I think the first era of cutesy names look ridiculous and the adults have nowhere to go with them as their actual name is Josh or Rosie.
I think the critical thing to remember is you are not naming a baby, you are naming a person who will carry that name for ever.
So every time I see someone describing a name as 'cute' I cringe as they are not looking beyond babyhood.
Rachel is a proper name with biblical origins- it might not be as 'cute' as Kiki, Evie or Lola for a toddler but it will certainly suit anyone over 15 a lot better than some silly nickname that was fashionable at the time.

madamsapple · 15/10/2023 10:12

I really like it. Strong and timeless.

Also a lovely story to tell DD that her name came to you in a dream :)

toastofthetown · 15/10/2023 09:57

coffeemachinedescale · 15/10/2023 09:32

I agree @Pemba. It's very tricky to find names that truly can't be dated to a decade - is it just Elizabeth as a girls' name that hasn't fallen out of the top 100 in however many decades? I'm trying to think of other truly timeless names - maybe Anna?

I picked Rachel because I think it's a strong name, I don't mind Rach and I like Rae. I also wanted to give my DD a bit of a "blank canvas" name that didn't come with too many assumptions. I agree that it can be dated to some extent to the 70s - 90s, but I also think it's a classic, classless name. I also like Deborah, but not so much Debs

Elizabeth is the only girls name which hasn’t left the top hundred since 1904. Sarah was second, but fell out of the top hundred in 2017. I don’t think a name being dated means one shouldn’t use it, but it’s something people may want to consider when using a name.

Interestingly, boys have eleven names which have constantly remained in the top hundred.

turkeyboots · 15/10/2023 09:55

Rach is a horrible shortening and every Rachel I know aged 60 down to teens all call themselves that.

muddyford · 15/10/2023 09:50

One of my favourite names.

Needeyebrows · 15/10/2023 09:45

Don't lika it at all. My friends daughter is called Rachel and she is 8. The name does not suit her. Definately don't think it's a timeless name. It's an old name but not a nice one.

MartyFunkhouser · 15/10/2023 09:37

I know 3 Rachel/Rachaels - all about 50. It was a very popular name when I was at school.

I think it’s quite a nice name, and not quite as blah as other names from that era.

coffeemachinedescale · 15/10/2023 09:32

I agree @Pemba. It's very tricky to find names that truly can't be dated to a decade - is it just Elizabeth as a girls' name that hasn't fallen out of the top 100 in however many decades? I'm trying to think of other truly timeless names - maybe Anna?

I picked Rachel because I think it's a strong name, I don't mind Rach and I like Rae. I also wanted to give my DD a bit of a "blank canvas" name that didn't come with too many assumptions. I agree that it can be dated to some extent to the 70s - 90s, but I also think it's a classic, classless name. I also like Deborah, but not so much Debs

OldTinHat · 15/10/2023 09:30

I personally prefer the spelling Rachael.

Howtohandl · 15/10/2023 09:22

I lump it in with Sarah, Catherine, Laura…Jennifer…very popular if you were at school in the 80’s and 90’s but unusual to find a baby one now. However, I do think all these are lovely names so maybe they are due a comeback!

SneezyEvie · 15/10/2023 09:19

NuffSaidSam · 14/10/2023 23:28

I'm surprised by the number of posts saying it's timeless/classic. I would put in very firmly as a name from the 80's. I went to school with loads of Rachel's and now know loads of Rachel's between 35 and 45.

I know the odd one who is younger/older but it very firmly dates to the 80's imo along with Amy, Claire and Becky.

Same. I don’t know a Rachel under 30.

Pemba · 15/10/2023 09:18

I think dated means a name that was pretty unheard of before a particular decade, becomes super popular, then fades away and seems unlikely to return. I don't think Rachel fits in with that.

Dated names to me would be Gladys from the early 20th century (not revived in recent years along with the other old lady names), Wayne and Tracey from the 1960s,maybe something like Khaleesi from recent years.

Deborah was very popular in the 60s, so that has obviously tainted it in many people's eyes. It's still biblical and classic though and will no doubt return. Personally I like it.

toastofthetown · 15/10/2023 09:06

Pemba · 15/10/2023 08:10

Of course it's classic, just because it may have had a bit of a popularity surge in the 80s/90s doesn't mean it's not classic! And did it have a surge then really? DD was born early 90s, I don't recall there being any Rachels at school with her at all. I do know one or two contemporaries of my own (born 60s) that were Rachel, several from the 70s, plus older and younger Rachels. Pretty timeless I'd say.

Yes Rachel definitely had a recent popularity surge. England and Wales only released the top hundred every ten years until 1996, but the data we have shows Rachel first entering the top hundred in the 60s, peaking in the 80s with both Rachel and Rachael in the top 50, and having dropped out totally by the 2000s. The year on year data from 1996 shows Rachel falling from the top 50 in the 90s to just over a hundred per year at the last count.

That’s why, even though Rachel is an ancient, classic name it’s still dated. Deborah is also classic and biblical, but dated as Deb is someone who goes to book club with my mum, rather than my school friend, or niece. There still being a handful of Rachels doesn’t negate that.