Rachel

Rachel comes from the Hebrew name Rāḥēl, meaning ewe or female sheep, a term that carried connotations of gentleness and beauty in ancient pastoral culture. In the Hebrew Bible, Rachel is the beloved wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, making her one of the four matriarchs of the Jewish people. The name spread widely through Christian and Jewish communities across Europe and beyond, gaining particular popularity in English-speaking countries after the Protestant Reformation. Cognate and variant forms include Rachele in Italian, Raquel in Spanish and Portuguese, and the pet forms Rach and Rachi.