Rigel
Masculine · “foot”
Rigel is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 632 boys against 10 girls since 1880.
Rigel is a foot. The blue-white star at the bottom right of Orion is named from an Arabic phrase meaning the left foot of the central one, and medieval European astronomers took the Arabic star names wholesale, which is why so many of them still sound the way they do.
How old is the name Rigel?
Rigel first appears in US birth records in 1976 — 49 years ago. The typical Rigel alive today was born around 2011, making them about 14 years old. About 600 people named Rigel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rigel most popular?
Rigel peaked in 2016, reaching #3293 nationally. Today it ranks #5045, 1,752 places below that high. See the whole 2016 chart.
Where it comes from
From rijl to Rigel
The story of Rigel
Arabic astronomy preserved and extended Greek work through the centuries when Europe had lost it, and when European scholars translated those texts back they kept the Arabic star names: Betelgeuse, Aldebaran, Altair, Deneb, Vega and Rigel are all Arabic in origin. Rigel is one of the brightest stars in the sky and a genuine giant, far larger than the sun. As a given name it is recent and belongs to a group of star names American families have been using for two decades.
Meaning
foot
Arabic rijl, a foot, from the phrase Rijl Jawza al-Yusra, the left foot of Jawza, which was the Arabic name for the figure Europeans call Orion. Latin astronomy shortened it to Rigel.
How the name formed
- rijl
- Rigel
Related forms: رجل
Pronouncing Rigel
RY-jel
Two syllables, stress in front, the i long as in ride. Some astronomers say REE-gel, closer to the Arabic, and both are heard.
Nicknames for Rigel
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
- 1976
- Most boys named
- 201634 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3293reached in 2016
- Change vs 2024
- +26.7%19 in 2025, from 15
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.
Rigel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- رجل in Arabic — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas.
Rigels among us
people named Rigel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 89,899 born in 2025 was named Rigel
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 Estefan test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Rigel's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Estefan climbed just as high around 1996, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Estefan's path sketches the road Rigel is walking now.
Rigel 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
Rigel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rigel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is documented and the star can be pointed at from any back garden in winter.
- It carries a real piece of the history of science, since the Arabic star names record who kept the knowledge.
- Five letters and two syllables make it quick to write.
- Two pronunciations circulate and the spelling settles neither.
- The name has a strong science-fiction association for many readers.
- Its meaning is a foot, which is less romantic than most families expect.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Rigel to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Rigel
Masculine · #5045 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Rigels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Rigel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rigel in 2025?
- Rigel ranks #5045 among US boy names in 2025, with 19 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rigel?
- About 1 in every 89,899 US boys born in 2025 was named Rigel — 19 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rigel with classmates?
- Rigel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rigel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Silver#5045 · Daymon#5045 · Thierry#5045 · Mehmet#5045 · Tyrel#5045 · Teague#5045 · Zeyad#5045 · Gardner#5045
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rigel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rigel and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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