Rachel (, Modern: , Tiberian: , ), meaning "ewe", is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, popularized by the biblical figure Rachel, the wife of Israelite patriarch Jacob.
Ashkenazi Jewish matronymic surnames Rokhlin (variants: Rochlin, Rohlin), Raskin, Raskine, Rashkin, Rashkind are derived from variants of the name. The Jewish version of the surname Ruskin is an Americanized form of Raskin.
Sixteenth century baptismal records from England show that Rachel was first used by English Christians in the mid-1500s, becoming popular during the Protestant Reformation along with other names from the Bible.
Usage
The name has been among the five hundred most commonly used names in recent years for newborn girls in France, Ireland, Israel, United Kingdom and the United States.
Variants
Rachey, Rahel, Rocha, Rochel, Rochie, Rochale, Rochele, Rochlin, Recha, Reche, Reichil, Rela, Releh, Relin, Reiyelina, Rekel, Rikel, Rikla, Rikle, Rasha, Rashe, Rashi, Rashel, Rachelle, Rashil, Rashka, Rashke Rashka, Rashke, Slavic-language-influences Ashkenazi Jewish Yiddish-language, diminutive Recha, a diminutive; an example is Rachel (Recha), the daughter of the protagonist of the 1779 play Nathan the Wise.
In various languages
Rachael, Rachelle, Racquel
Rachela (Polish) Rachele (Italian) Rachelle (French) Racquela (English) Rahel (Turkish) Ráhelm (Hungarian) Rahelki/Rachel (German, Hebrew, Polish, Welsh, Indonesian) Rahela (Hawaiian, Romanian, Croatian) راحله (Raheleh) (Persian) Ráichéal (Irish) Raahel (Malayalam) Ραχήλ (Rachíl) (Greek) Raakel (Finnish) Rakel (Scandinavian) Rakeri (Kikuyu) රාකෙල් (Rakel) (Sinhala) Raichel (Tamil) రాహేలు Raahélu (Telugu) Raheli (Swahili) Rakeli (Yoruba) Rakul (Faroese) Raquel (Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Spanish) راحيل (Raheel) (Arabic) ریچل (Rachel) (Urdu) ራሄል (Amharic)