Origins of the Girl’s Name Rachel

The Rachel name is biblical and honoured in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
In the bible, Rachel, the second and most loved wife of Jacob represented womanly tragedy. She died in childbirth having her second son, Benjamin. Many British tend to pronounce Rachel,(Racheow) by dropping the L. Rachel wasn’t used as a Christian name until the Protestant Reformation, which included the Anglican church in England.

Meaning of Rachel

The English meaning of Rachel is ewe(sheep). Rachel represents innocence. The Anglican meaning of Rachel is “battle counsel.”

Popularity of Rachel

Rachel ranks 219th most popular name in England, Scotland and Wales. There are many English women named Rachel, including Rachel Riley, an English television presenter and Rachel Weisz, an actress. Rachel Mason is a character in the BBC series Waterloo, and Naughty Rachel is a character in the British comedy series, Green Wing. Rachel has never been the name of a British monarch, but in 2014 it has come close. Rachel Cadman was crowned Miss Nottingham of Great Britain. In 1982,Vangelis recorded “Rachel’s Song”, in London. It was re-released in 1994 and became a top 20 UK hit. In 2001, Rachel was the 38th most popular baby girl’s name in England and this could have been partly down to the popularity of the TV series Friends with the character Rachel Green.

Useful Resources

Checkout the meaning and popularity of other English girls’ names.