Rachel vs Samantha
Rachel and Samanthacompared 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 2006, Rachel was ranked #98 and Samantha #23 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2007, Rachel was ranked #71 and Samantha #39 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Rachel was ranked #139 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Rachel was ranked #186 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Rachel was ranked #394 and Samantha #778 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Rachel was ranked #431 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
Norway · Girls
In 2024, Rachel was ranked #472 and Samantha #511 among girls in Norway.
Rachel and Samantha over time
Rachel and Samantha appear together in 6 published lists, across 218 years of shared records. Rachel held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Samantha in 2.
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 3 of those lists, Samantha in 2. 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 1987, Samantha moved ahead of Rachel in New Zealand · Girls — #12 and #16 the year before became #12 and #8.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Rachel and Samantha changed places 4 times in New South Wales, Australia · Girls between 1968 and 2007, ending at #71 and #39.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 40 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Rachel and Samantha averaged 12.6 places apart, ending at #71 and #39.
- Longest-running competitions
Rachel and Samantha were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #394 and #778.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Rachel #27 in 1996, Samantha #32 in 1996.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1996 they stood at #27 and #32 in England and Wales · Girls, 5 places apart; by 2025 they were #394 and #778.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Rachel held the stronger position in 60 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Rachel #6 in 1997, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Rachel #186, Samantha #885.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls40 shared years, 1968–2007
Rachel held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Samantha in 30.
Highest recorded here: Rachel #10 in 1991, Samantha #3 in 1992.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2007: Rachel #71, Samantha #39.
Norway · Girls37 shared years, 1969–2024
Rachel held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Samantha in 8.
Highest recorded here: Rachel #244 in 1978, Samantha #298 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Rachel #472, Samantha #511.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Rachel held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Rachel #27 in 1996, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Rachel #394, Samantha #778.
New Zealand · Girls28 shared years, 1978–2006
Rachel held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Samantha in 20.
Highest recorded here: Rachel #7 in 1985, Samantha #3 in 1989.
The order changed in 1987: Samantha moved ahead. In 1986 they stood at #12 and #16; by 1987 that had become #12 and #8.
Most recent shared year, 2006: Rachel #98, Samantha #23.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Rachel held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Rachel #7 in 2003, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Rachel #139, Samantha #446.
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 | Rachel | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'ewe' (female sheep), the biblical wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. | Likely a feminine adaptation of Samuel, incorporating a suffix possibly derived from Greek 'anthos' ('flower'). Emerged in 18th-century America; boosted to wide popularity by the 1964 television series Bewitched. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhakhel | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈreɪtʃəl/ | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #186 (2025) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Rachel is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhakhel origin, while Samantha is recorded with a Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) origin.
- Rachel has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Samantha.
- Rachel's recorded meaning differs from Samantha's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
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 #394 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Samantha
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #79 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2013
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1992 (recorded 1966–2013).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #778 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls