It’s been 20 years since Friends was airing on NBC, but the series that’s considered one of the best sitcoms of all time is still as beloved as ever. There’s no way the creators could have predicted the microscope that every detail of Friends would be put under, but thanks to all 10 seasons being available to stream with a Max subscription (and syndicated episodes seemingly running on a loop on cable), fans have picked up on quite a few inconsistencies. One of those concerns Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel. Is her last name spelled “Green” or “Greene”? Turns out, it’s actually both. I’ll explain.
Why Rachel Green Is The Correct Spelling
“Rachel Green” seems to be the spelling used by Friends’ production company Warner Bros. on all of its press material. The surname also lacks the third “e” on sites like IMDb and Wikipedia. Further proof that this is the correct spelling can be seen in the Season 2 episode “The One With Two Parties,” which guest-starred Marlo Thomas and Ron Leibman as Rachel’s parents. The credits show both of their names spelled “Green,” as you can see below.
In fact, those actors made several appearances throughout the series, and the spelling of Green remained the same. Here is Ron Leibman’s name in the credits of his final appearance, Season 10’s “The One Where Joey Speaks French”:
So case closed, right? Not so fast. While “Green” is how most people outside the show spell it, within the Friends universe, the alternate spelling seems to be preferred.
Why Rachel Greene Is The Correct Spelling
Ross and Rachel’s relationship was one of the most important storylines of Friends’ 10 seasons — from the moment she ran into Central Perk wearing a wedding dress in the series premiere to their ultimate reunion in the series finale — so we are going to assume that of all people, Ross (David Schwimmer) knows how to spell Rachel’s name. During Season 4’s “The One With the Invitation,” we see him mailing Rachel an invitation to his and Emily’s wedding, and look at how her name is spelled on the envelope:
Did Ross not address the envelopes himself? That same spelling was actually shown twice in that episode, with “Rachel Greene” showing up on the RSVP card of the actual invitation that she received in the mail. Take a look:
Once again, this wasn’t a mere single-episode mishap. That extra “e” inserts itself again in the Season 9 episode “The One Where Rachel Goes Back to Work.” Right before Rachel nearly clocks Gavin (Dermot Mulroney) for calling her baby a boy, you can clearly see the nameplate on her office door reads, “Rachel Greene.” Zoom in on the image below:
It’s a true conundrum. Of course the spelling of Rachel’s last name shouldn’t (and hasn’t) kept people from enjoying Friends for decades. It’s just one of those things like the girls’ apartment number changing or Ross’ first wife Carol being recast that we just have to accept. But rest assured, if you ever find yourself in the position of writing her name down and don’t know how to spell it, you’re good either way.
See what other funny mistakes you can find on Friends by watching the series on Max, one of the best streaming services you can subscribe to.
