Rebel
Feminine · “one who renews a war”
Rebel is given to both — 1,490 girls and 966 boys since 1880. See Rebel as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Rebel is the English word, used plainly, and it is one of the more direct names a family can choose. The word is Latin and rather specific: it named someone who took up a war again after it had been settled.
How old is the name Rebel?
Rebel first appears in US birth records in 1912 — 113 years ago. The typical Rebel is a kid of about 9 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,400 people named Rebel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rebel most popular?
Rebel peaked in 2021, reaching #1612 nationally. Today it ranks #3167, 1,555 places below that high. See the whole 2021 chart.
Rebel appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From rebellis to Rebel
The story of Rebel
Latin rebellis passed into French and then English in the thirteenth century, keeping its exact sense for centuries before it softened into the general word for anyone who will not comply. Its life as a given name is recent and American, part of a group of word-names — Rebel, Maverick, Justice, Legend — that have entered the records in the last few decades. It is given to girls and to boys, and the girls' side has been the more visible of the two.
Meaning
one who renews a war; one who refuses to submit
From Latin rebellis, built on the word for war with a prefix meaning again; the original sense was of a defeated people rising a second time.
How the name formed
- rebellis
- rebel
Related forms: Rebelle · Rebelde
Pronouncing Rebel
REB-uhl
Two syllables, first stressed, exactly as the noun. The verb moves the stress to the second syllable, which the name does not.
Nicknames for Rebel
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1912
- Most girls named
- 2021130 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1612reached in 2021
- Change vs 2024
- −24.2%50 in 2025, from 66
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Rebel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rebelle in French — related form
- Rebelde in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Oklahoma.
Rebels among us
people named Rebel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 32,145 born in 2025 was named Rebel
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Janella test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Rebel's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Janella climbed just as high around 1971, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Janella's path sketches the road Rebel is walking now.
Rebel sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Rebel is headed
Rebel is easing off slowly — about 18% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Rebel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rebel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- An ordinary English word, so no one has to be taught to say or spell it.
- The Latin history behind it is precise and easy to tell.
- Bel is a soft short form for anyone who wants one.
- It describes a temperament the child has not chosen yet, and she will be measured against it.
- In the American South the clipped form carries a Confederate association that is not neutral.
- A name that makes a statement asks something of a quiet person carrying it.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Rebel
Feminine · #3167 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Rebels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Rebel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rebel in 2025?
- Rebel ranks #3167 among US girl names in 2025, with 50 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rebel?
- About 1 in every 32,145 US girls born in 2025 was named Rebel — 50 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rebel with classmates?
- Rebel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rebel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Lulu#3167 · Lucina#3167 · Irma#3167 · Leyna#3167 · Skylee#3167 · Amairani#3167 · Jorja#3167 · Jozie#3167
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rebel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rebel and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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