Rachel

Pronunciation: RAY-chəl (key)

Origin of the name Rachel:

From the Ecclesiastic Late Latin and the Ecclesiastic Greek Rhachēl, which is derived from the Hebrew rāchēl (ewe).

From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman. Buy the book

Namipedia Users Say...

80
No Way
Definitely

Smart?

74
No Way
Definitely

Sexy?

79
No Way
Definitely

Friendly?

73
No Way
Definitely

Creative?

71
No Way
Definitely

Strong?

69
No Way
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Young?

74
No Way
Definitely

Sophisticated?

Sibling Names for Rachel...

Do you know any real life Rachels?
What are their siblings named?

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Rachel!

Comments and insights on the name Rachel: | Edit

my names rachel and i LOVE it!! my nicknames are rach, ray, and rayray. but my favorite is ELLE! my name means lamb to :) and i love it because it was my favorite actress' (jennifer aniston) name in my favorite show (friends)!!

Personal experiences with the name Rachel: | Edit

My daughter's name is Rachel so I obviously LOVE it! I picked that name because I have always really liked it, another reason I picked it was because Rachel was my last child and I wanted a bible name....this was it! It was the one! I think the name is beautiful & timeless! I have never regretted naming her Rachel, not once. As ironic as it is my 1st daughter who is 2 1/2 yrs older I named Monica and then my 2nd daughter I name Rachel so when the show "Friends" came out and I finally noticed it because I was never a huge fan although it's not bad, imagine my amazement when I see that the main female characters have the same names as my own daughters!

I use many variants of Rachel for nickname purposes, but the most used by me are probably Rach and Rachie.

My name is also Rachel and I was born in '93. My name must still be pretty popular because I feel like everywhere I go I hear my name called. My middle name is Hannah if you are trying to think of a good combination. I am jewish and named after my great-great grandmother. I am also the first born and respond to a number of nicknames. I believe Rachel is one of those names which people associate with beauty, but also with boring-ness, same-ness and non-sophistication. It maybe makes me sound older, but not any more mature.

My name is Rachel. I don't completely hate it, but it's not the most beautiful girl's name. It's more of a practical, boring name.

Nicknames for Rachel: | Edit

Rach, Rachie, Rae, Rayy, Rayray, Shel, Elle, El, Raquel, Sha-Ray Ray, Rae-Rae, Roo-Roo, Ra (long a), Sachel, Sach, Rachie-Sachie, Chel

Meanings and history of the name Rachel: | Edit

__________________
RACHEL
Innocent Lamb

Origin: Hebrew
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ewe, little lamb,

Famous real-life people named Rachel: | Edit

Rachel De Azevado Coleman, creator and star of the "Signing Time!" series of dvds/tv programs and related products
Rachel Griffiths, actress (Six Feet Under, Brothers & Sisters)
Rachael Ray, celebrity chef
Rachel Hunter, model
Rachel Weisz, actress
Rachel McAdams, actress
Rachel Carson, marine biologist and nature writer
Rachel Maddow, TV show host
Rachel Donelson Jackson, First Lady and wife of Andrew Jackson
Rachel Bilson, actress
Rachael Leigh Cook, actress
Rachel Ward, actress
Rachel Robertson, actress

Rachel in song, story & screen: | Edit

Rachel Green from the TV Show Friends, who spawned her own hair-do, The Rachel.
Rachel Wilcox, Lindsay Lohan's character in the film "Georgia Rule"
Rachel Mason, Headmistress of Waterloo Road in the hit BBC drama of the same name
Naughty Rachel, a character in the British TV Series Green Wing
Rachel, a supporting character (who later becomes playable in the Sigma re-make) in the 2004 Xbox video game Ninja Gaiden
Rachel, one of the six main characters of Animorphs
Rachel Carruthers, a character in the Halloween movie series
Rachel Gibson, a character in Season 5 of Alias
Rachel Greene, a character in the TV series ER
Rachel Kinski, a character in the Australian TV show Neighbours
Rachel Moore of Case Closed (Detective Conan)
Rachel Summers, a character in the Marvel Universe
Rachel Teller, a character in the Need for Speed Underground 2
Rachael, a character in the 1982 movie Blade Runner
Rachel Austen, a character in It Hurt to Be Strong
Rachel, Bible

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