Maree vs Rachel
Maree 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 1974, Maree was ranked #88 and Rachel #5 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 1971, Maree was ranked #96 and Rachel #29 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Maree and Rachel over time
Maree and Rachel appear together in 1 published list, across 10 years of shared records. Rachel held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Maree 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.
Maree reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Rachel 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1968, Rachel moved ahead of Maree in New Zealand · Girls — #45 and #48 the year before became #42 and #40.
List by list
New Zealand · Girls10 shared years, 1965–1974
Maree held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Rachel in 7.
Highest recorded here: Maree #42 in 1968, Rachel #3 in 1971.
The order changed in 1968: Rachel moved ahead. In 1967 they stood at #45 and #48; by 1968 that had become #42 and #40.
Most recent shared year, 1974: Maree #88, Rachel #5.
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 | Maree | 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 | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New Zealand · Girls #88 (1974) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #186 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 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); Maree does not have one recorded yet.
- Maree and Rachel both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Rachel; Maree doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, NZ.
How each name got here
Maree
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #72 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1955–1974
Highest recorded position: #42 among girls in New Zealand, in 1968 (recorded 1955–1974).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent1974
Most recently recorded at #88 among girls in New Zealand, in 1974.
New Zealand · 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