Ma vs Rachel
Ma and Rachelcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2009, Ma was ranked #5556 and Rachel #140 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2005, Ma was ranked #609 and Rachel #408 among girls in Norway.
Ma and Rachel over time
Ma and Rachel appear together in 1 published list, across 32 years of shared records. Rachel held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Ma in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Rachel reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ma in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ma and Rachel changed places 11 times in Norway · Girls between 1962 and 2005, ending at #609 and #408.
- Longest-running competitions
Ma and Rachel were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 32 years, from 1962 to 2005, ending at #609 and #408.
List by list
Norway · Girls32 shared years, 1962–2005
Ma held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Rachel in 23.
Highest recorded here: Ma #252 in 1985, Rachel #214 in 1973.
The order changed in 1992: Rachel moved ahead. In 1991 they stood at #326 and #328; by 1992 that had become #612 and #334.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Ma #609, Rachel #408.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Ma | Rachel |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Commonly interpreted as 'ewe' (female sheep), the biblical wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhakhel |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈreɪtʃəl/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #5556 (2009) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #186 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Rachel has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhakhel); Ma does not have one recorded yet.
- Ma has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Rachel.
- A meaning is recorded for Rachel; Ma doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Ma
Popularity journey
First recorded1962
First recorded at #462 among girls in Norway in 1962 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1962–2005
Highest recorded position: #252 among girls in Norway, in 1985 (recorded 1962–2005).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2005
Most recently recorded at #609 among girls in Norway, in 2005.
Norway · Girls
Rachel
Popularity journey
First recorded1951
First recorded at #379 among girls in Norway in 1951 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1965–2006
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New Zealand, in 1971 (recorded 1965–2006).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #186 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls