Rachel (from , , ; ) is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, popularized by the biblical figure Rachel, the wife of Israelite patriarch Jacob.
History of usage
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 biblical names.Redmonds, George, Christian Names in Local and Family History, Dundurn Press, 2004, ISBN 1-55002-507-4 p. 41
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.
In various languages Rachael, Rachelle, RacquelLansky, Bruce, 100,000+ Baby Names: The most helpful, complete, & up-to-date name book Da Capo Lifelong Books; Revised edition (July 9, 2019), ISBN 978-0-306-92298-5 Rachela (Polish) Rachele (Italian) Rahel (Turkish) Raonaid (Scottish Gaelic) Rachel, Rahel (Indonesian) Ráhel (Hungarian) Rahelki/Rachel (German, Hebrew, Polish, Welsh) Rahela (Serbian, Romanian, Croatian) راحله (Raheleh) (Persian) Ráichéal (Irish) Raahel (Malayalam) Ῥαχήλ (Rhachel) (Greek) Raakel (Finnish) Rakel (Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic) Rakeri (Kikuyu) රාකෙල් (Rakel) (Sinhala) றைசெல் (Raichel) (Tamil) రాహేలు Raahélu (Telugu) Raheli (Swahili) Rakeli (Yoruba) Rakul (Faroese) Raquel (Portuguese, Spanish) راحيل (Raheel) (Arabic) ریچل (Rachel) (Urdu) ራሄል (Raheli) (Amharic)
Women named Rachel Notable people with the name include:
Rachel, Biblical figure known for being the wife that Jacob loved Rachel, wife of Rabbi Akiva (1st century) Rachel (born 1942), French singer of the 1960s Rachel of Kittery, Maine (died 1695), American slave murdered by her owner Rachel Aaron (fl. 2010s–2020s), American author Rachel Aberlin, 16th-century Jewish mystic Rachel Alejandro (born 1974), Filipino singer and actress Rachel Allen (born 1972), Irish celebrity chef Rachel Amanda (born 1995), Indonesian actress, singer and model Rachel Ames (born 1929), American actress Rachel Anderson (born 1943), English journalist and author Rachel Anderson (football agent), the UK's first female FIFA-licensed agent Rachel Ankeny, professor of history and philosophy of science Rachel Antonoff (born 1981), American fashion designer Rachel Attas (1934–2004), Israeli actress and singer Rokhl Auerbakh (Rachel Auerbach) (1903–1976), Polish-Israeli writer and historian Rachel Azaria (born 1977), Israeli politician Rachel Baard, South African theologian Rachel Tzvia Back, Israeli poet and translator Rachel Balkovec (born 1987), American baseball manager Rachel Baskerville (born 1951), New Zealand accounting academic Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi (1886–1979), Israeli author and first lady of Israel Rachel Bess, American artist Rachel Bianchi-Quarshie, Ghanaian pilot Rachel Bilson (born 1981), American actress Rachel Blanchard, Canadian actress Rachel Bloom (born 1987), American actress Rachel Bloomekatz (born 1982), American lawyer Rachel Bluwstein (1890–1931), Hebrew-language poet from Palestine Rachel Bolan, born James Southworth in 1966, American bassist Rachel Boston (born 1982), American actress and producer Rachel Brand (born 1973), American lawyer and government official Rachel Bromwich (1915–2010), British scholar Rachel Brosnahan (born 1990), American actress Rachel Brown (born 1980), English footballer Rachel Burke, American politician Rachel Caine (1962–2020), American writer Rachel Cameron (1924–2011), American ballet dancer and teacher Rachel Campos-Duffy (born 1971), American television personality Rachel Carns (born 1969), American musician and artist Rachel Carson (1907–1964), American environmentalist, scientist Rachel Chalkowski (born 1939), Israeli midwife and gemach organiser Rachel Chiesley, Lady Grange (1679–1745), Scottish woman kidnapped by her husband Rachel Concho (born 1936), Native American artist and potter Rachel Corrie (1973–2003), American political activist and diarist Rachel Corsie (born 1989), Scottish footballer Rachel Cosgrove Payes (1922–1998), American author Rachel Covey (born 1998), American actress Rachel Cowan (1941–2018), American rabbi Rachel Crow (born 1998), American actress and singer Rachel Cusk (born 1967), Canadian-born novelist Rachel Daly (born 1991), English footballer Rachel Daquis (born 1987), Filipino volleyball player Rachel David (born 1996), Indian actress
Rachel de Montmorency (1891–1961), English painter and stained glass artist Rachel de Queiroz (1910–2003), Brazilian author, translator, and journalist Rachel Lilian Alfreda de Silva (1920–2001), Sri Lankan Sinhala poet, journalist, and screenwriter Rachel Dolezal (born 1977), American former civil rights activist Rachel Don (1866–1941), New Zealand preacher and activist Rachel Dratch (born 1966), American actress Rachel Dror (1921–2024), German Holocaust survivor Rachel Eckroth, American singer-songwriter and keyboardist Rachel Ehrenfeld, American terrorism expert Rachel Elior (born 1949), Israeli historian and philosopher Rachel Elkind-Tourre (born 1939), American musician and record producer Rachel Elnaugh (born 1964), British entrepreneur Rachel Ennis (born 1987), British rhythmic gymnast Rachel Entwistle (1980–2006), American murder victim Rachel Erickson (born 1999), Canadian curler Rachel Evans, Welsh chemist Rachel Held Evans (1981–2019), American writer Rachel Fabri (born 1985), Maltese singer-songwriter Rachel Fannan (born 1986), American singer, songwriter, and poet Rachel Feinstein (artist) (born 1971), American artist Rachel Feinstein (comedian), American actress and stand-up comedian Rachel Félix (1821–1858), French actress Rachel Lyman Field (1894–1942), American poet, novelist and children's fiction writer Rachel G. Fox (born 1996), American actress and singer Rachel Freier (born 1965), American judge Rachel Fuller (born 1973), British singer-songwriter Rachel Furness (born 1988), Northern Irish footballer Rachel Garcia (born 1997), American softball player Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah (born 1981), American essayist Rachel Goswell (born 1971), English singer-songwriter Rachel Grant (born 1977), English actress and TV presenter Rachel Griffin-Accurso (born 1982), American YouTuber known as Ms. Rachel Rachel Griffith (born 1963), British-American economist Rachel Griffiths (born 1968), Australian actress and director Rachel Eliza Griffiths (born 1978), American poet, novelist, and photographer Rachel Gupta (born 2004), Indian model Rachel Gurney (1920–2001), English actress Rachel Hardiman (born 1961), Irish cricketer Rachel M. Harper, American novelist and academic Rachel Harris (born 1979), Australian swimmer Rachel M. Harter, American statistician Rachel Haugh, English architect Rachel Henderson, American politician Rachel Hill (born 1995), American soccer player Rachel Hilson (born 1995), American actress Rachel Hirschfeld (1945/1946 – 2018), animal welfare attorney Rachel Hoffman (1984–2008), American murder victim Rachel Hofstetter (born 1992), American video game streamer Rachel Hollis (born 1983), American author and motivational speaker Rachel Homan (born 1989), Canadian curler Rachel Hopkins (born 1972), British Labour MP Rachel Hopkins (cricketer) (born 1992), English cricketer Rachel House (actress) (born 1971), New Zealand actress and director Rachel Hunter (born 1969), New Zealand supermodel and actress Rachel Hurd-Wood (born 1990), British actress Rachel Ikemeh, Nigerian conservationist Rachel Imison (born 1978), Australian field hockey player Rachel Ingalls (1941–2019), American author Rachel Isaacs, American rabbi Rachel Isadora (born 1953), American children's author, illustrator, and painter Rachel Jackson (1767–1828), wife of U.S. President Andrew Jackson Rachel Jacobs (1975–2015), American businesswoman Rachel Jarry (born 1991), Australian basketball player Rachel Jewkes, South African scientist Rachel Johnson (born 1965), British journalist, television presenter, and author Rachel Johnson (athlete) (born 1993), American track and field athlete Rachel Jones, multiple people Rachel Joyce, multiple people Rachel Keller (born 1992), American actress Rachel Kempson (1910–2003), English actress Rachel Kerr, British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur Rachel Khoo (born 1980), British cook and writer Rachel Klamer (born 1990), Dutch triathlete Rachel E. Klevit, American biochemist Rachel Kolly d'Alba (born 1981), Swiss soloist violinist Rachel Korine (born 1986), American actress Rachel Kushner (born 1968), American novelist Rachel Levine (born 1957), transgender American assistant secretary of health Gertrude Rachel Levy (1884–1966), British author and cultural historian Rachel Lindsay (television personality) (born 1985), American television personality Rachel Llanes (born 1991), American ice hockey player Rachel Lloyd (born 1975), British activist Rachel Lloyd (1839–1900), American chemist Rachel Lowe (born 2000), Australian footballer Rachel Luttrell (born 1971), Tanzanian-Canadian actress Rachel MacNair (born 1958), American sociologist and psychologist Rachel Maddow (born 1973), American journalist Rachel Meghan Markle (born 1981), Duchess of Sussex and former American actress Rachel Marsden (born 1974), Canadian political columnist Rachel Mazuir (born 1940), French politician Rachel McAdams (born 1978), Canadian actress Rachel McAlpine (born 1940), New Zealand poet, novelist, and playwright Rachel McCann (field hockey) (born 1993), New Zealand field hockey player Rachel McFarlane, British singer Rachel McLean (1971–1991), British murder victim Rachel McLish (born 1955), American bodybuilder, actress, and author Rachel Lambert Mellon (1910–2014), American horticulturalist, philanthropist, and art collector Rachel Millward (born 1977), British politician Rachel Miner (born 1980), American actress Rachel Mitchell (born 1967), American attorney Rachel Morrison (born 1978), American cinematographer and director Rachel Newton (born 1985), Scottish singer and harpist Rachel Neylan (born 1982), Australian cyclist Rachel Nicholls, English opera singer Rachel Nichols, multiple people Rachel Nickell (1968–1992), British murder victim Rachel Noerdlinger (born 1970), American publicist Rachel Nordlinger, Australian linguist Rachel Notley (born 1964), Canadian politician Rachel O'Reilly, British chemist Rachel O'Riordan (born 1974), Irish theatre director Rachel Oakes Preston (1809–1868), American religious figure Rachel Oliver (footballer) (born 1971), New Zealand footballer Rachel Oliver (scientist), British material scientist Rachel Ong (born 1972), Singaporean politician Rachel Oniga (1957–2021), Nigerian actress Rachel Owen (1968–2016), Welsh photographer, printmaker, and lecturer Rachel Owens (born 1972), American sculptor Rachel Parish (born 1981), British sportswoman Rachel Parris (born 1984), English comedian and actress Rachel Parsons, multiple people Rachel Paulose (born 1973), American attorney Rachel Pavlou, British manager for diversity and inclusion at the Football Association in England Rachel Peace (aka Jane Short) (1881 – died after 1932), British feminist and suffragette Rachel Perkins (born 1970), Australian director, producer, and screenwriter Rachel Peters (born 1991), Miss Universe Philippines 2017 Rachel Pizzolato, American model and social media influencer Rachel Platten (born 1981), American singer and songwriter Rachel Pollack (1945–2023), American science fiction writer, comic book writer, and tarot expert Rachel Portman (born 1960), British composer