Rachel (given name)
Rachel 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, 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.
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, Racquel
- Rachela
- Rachele
- Rachelle
- Racquela
- Rahel
- Raonaid
- Rachel, Rahel
- Ráhel
- Rahelki/Rachel
- Rahela
- راحله
- Ráichéal
- Raahel
- Ραχήλ
- Raakel
- Rakel
- Rakeri
- රාකෙල්
- Raichel
- రాహేలు Raahélu
- Raheli
- Rakeli
- Rakul
- Raquel
- راحيل
- ریچل
- ራሄል
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
- Rachel, French singer of the 1960s
- Rachel of Kittery, Maine, American slave murdered by her owner
- Rachel Aaron, American author
- Rachel Aberlin, 16th-century Jewish mystic
- Rachel Alejandro, Filipino singer and actress
- Rachel Allen, Irish celebrity chef
- Rachel Amanda, Indonesian actress, singer and model
- Rachel Ames, American actress
- Rachel Anderson, 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 at University of Adelaide
- Rachel Antonoff, American fashion designer
- Rachel Attas, Israeli actress and singer
- Rokhl Auerbakh, Polish-Israeli writer, essayist, historian, and Holocaust scholar
- Rachel Azaria, Israeli politician
- Rachel Baard, South African theologian
- Rachel Tzvia Back, Israeli poet and translator
- Rachel Balkovec, American baseball manager
- Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi, Israeli author and first lady of Israel
- Rachel Bess, American artist
- Rachel Bianchi-Quarshie, Ghanaian pilot
- Rachel Bilson, American actress
- Rachel Blanchard, Canadian actress
- Rachel Bloom, American actress
- Rachel Bloomekatz, American lawyer
- Rachel Bluwstein, usually referred to simply as "Rachel", Hebrew-language poet from Palestine
- Rachel Bolan, born James Southworth in 1966, American bassist of Skid Row
- Rachel Boston, American actress and producer
- Rachel Brand, American lawyer and government official
- Rachel Bromwich, British scholar
- Rachel Brosnahan, American actress
- Rachel Brown, English footballer
- Rachel Caine, American writer
- Rachel Cameron, American ballet dancer and teacher
- Rachel Campos-Duffy, American television personality
- Rachel Carns, American musician and artist
- Rachel Carson, American environmentalist, scientist
- Rachel Chalkowski, Israeli midwife and gemach organiser
- Rachel Chiesley, Lady Grange, Scottish woman kidnapped by her husband
- Rachel Corrie, American political activist and diarist
- Rachel Corsie, Scottish footballer
- Rachel Cosgrove Payes, American author
- Rachel Covey, American actress
- Rachel Cowan, American rabbi
- Rachel Crow, American actress and singer
- Rachel Cusk, Canadian-born novelist
- Rachel Daly, English footballer
- Rachel Daquis, Filipino volleyball player
- Rachel David, Indian actress
- Rachel de Montmorency, English painter and stained glass artist
- Rachel de Queiroz, Brazilian author, translator, and journalist
- Rachel Lilian Alfreda de Silva, Sri Lankan Sinhala poet, journalist, and screenwriter
- Rachel Dolezal, American former civil rights activist known for falsely claiming to be African American
- Rachel Don, New Zealand preacher and activist
- Rachel Dratch, American actress
- Rachel Dror, German Holocaust survivor
- Rachel Eckroth, American singer-songwriter and keyboardist
- Rachel Ehrenfeld, American terrorism expert
- Rachel Elior, Israeli historian and philosopher
- Rachel Elkind-Tourre, American musician and record producer
- Rachel Elnaugh, British entrepreneur
- Rachel Ennis, British rhythmic gymnast
- Rachel Entwistle née Souza, American murder victim
- Rachel Erickson, Canadian curler
- Rachel Evans, Welsh chemist
- Rachel Held Evans, American writer
- Rachel Fabri, Maltese singer-songwriter
- Rachel Fannan, American singer, songwriter, and poet
- Rachel Feinstein (artist), American artist
- Rachel Feinstein (comedian), American actress and stand-up comedian
- Rachel Félix, French actress
- Rachel Lyman Field, American poet, novelist and children's fiction writer
- Rachel G. Fox, American actress and singer
- Rachel Freier, American judge
- Rachel Fuller, British singer-songwriter
- Rachel Furness, Northern Irish footballer
- Rachel Garcia, American softball player
- Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, American essayist
- Rachel Goswell, English singer-songwriter
- Rachel Grant, English actress and TV presenter
- Rachel Griffin-Accurso, American YouTuber and educator known as Ms. Rachel
- Rachel Griffith, British-American economist
- Rachel Griffiths, Australian actress and director
- Rachel Eliza Griffiths, American poet, novelist, and photographer
- Rachel Gupta, Indian model
- Rachel Gurney, English actress
- Rachel Hardiman, Irish cricketer
- Rachel Harris, Australian swimmer
- Rachel M. Harter, American statistician
- Rachel Haugh, English architect
- Rachel Henderson, American politician
- Rachel Hill, American soccer player
- Rachel Hilson, American actress
- Rachel Hirschfeld, animal welfare attorney
- Rachel Hoffman, American murder victim
- Rachel Hofstetter, American video game streamer
- Rachel Hollis, American author and motivational speaker
- Rachel Homan, Canadian curler
- Rachel Hopkins, British Labour MP
- Rachel Hopkins (cricketer), English cricketer
- Rachel House (actress), New Zealand actress and director
- Rachel Hunter, New Zealand supermodel and actress
- Rachel Hurd-Wood, British actress
- Rachel Ikemeh, Nigerian conservationist
- Rachel Imison, Australian field hockey player
- Rachel Ingalls, American author
- Rachel Isaacs, American rabbi
- Rachel Isadora, American children's author, illustrator, and painter
- Rachel Jackson, wife of U.S. President Andrew Jackson
- Rachel Jacobs, American businesswoman
- Rachel Jarry, Australian basketball player
- Rachel Jewkes, South African scientist
- Rachel Johnson, British journalist, television presenter, and author
- Rachel Johnson (athlete), American track and field athlete
- Rachel Jones, multiple people
- Rachel Joyce, multiple people
- Rachel Keller, American actress
- Rachel Kempson, English actress
- Rachel Kerr, British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur
- Rachel Khoo, British cook and writer
- Rachel Klamer, Dutch triathlete
- Rachel E. Klevit, American biochemist
- Rachel Kolly d'Alba, Swiss soloist violinist
- Rachel Korine, American actress
- Rachel Kushner, American novelist
- Rachel Levine, transgender American assistant secretary of health
- Gertrude Rachel Levy, British author and cultural historian writing as G. Rachel Levy
- Rachel Lindsay (television personality), American television personality
- Rachel Llanes, American ice hockey player
- Rachel Lloyd, British activist
- Rachel Lloyd, American chemist
- Rachel Lowe, Australian footballer
- Rachel Luttrell, Tanzanian-Canadian actress
- Rachel MacNair, American sociologist and psychologist
- Rachel Maddow, American journalist
- Rachel Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and former American actress
- Rachel Marsden, Canadian political columnist
- Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress
- Rachel McAlpine, New Zealand poet, novelist, and playwright
- Rachel McCann (field hockey), New Zealand field hockey player
- Rachel McLean, British murder victim
- Rachel McLish, American bodybuilder, actress, and author
- Rachel Lambert Mellon, American horticulturalist, philanthropist, and art collector
- Rachel Millward, British politician
- Rachel Miner, American actress
- Rachel Mitchell, American attorney
- Rachel Morrison, American cinematographer and director
- Rachel Newton, Scottish singer and harpist
- Rachel Neylan, Australian cyclist
- Rachel Nicholls, English opera singer
- Rachel Nichols, multiple people
- Rachel Nickell, British murder victim
- Rachel Noerdlinger, American publicist
- Rachel Nordlinger, Australian linguist
- Rachel Notley, Canadian politician
- Rachel O'Reilly, British chemist
- Rachel O'Riordan, Irish theatre director
- Rachel Oakes Preston, American religious figure
- Rachel Oliver (footballer), New Zealand footballer
- Rachel Oliver (scientist), British material scientist
- Rachel Ong, Singaporean politician
- Rachel Oniga, Nigerian actress
- Rachel Owen, Welsh photographer, printmaker, and lecturer
- Rachel Owens, American sculptor
- Rachel Parish, British sportswoman
- Rachel Parris, English comedian and actress
- Rachel Parsons, multiple people
- Rachel Paulose, American attorney
- Rachel Pavlou, British manager for diversity and inclusion at the Football Association in England
- Rachel Peace, British feminist and suffragette
- Rachel Perkins, Australian director, producer, and screenwriter
- Rachel Peters, Miss Universe Philippines 2017
- Rachel Pizzolato, American model and social media influencer
- Rachel Platten, American singer and songwriter
- Rachel Pollack, American science fiction writer, comic book writer, and tarot expert
- Rachel Portman, British composer
- Rachel Potter, American singer and actress
- Rachel Justine Pries, American mathematician
- Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, Canadian writer
- Rachel Quon, American-Canadian soccer player
- Rachel Rath, Irish actress
- Rachel Reeves, British MP for the Labour Party
- Rachel Reilly, American television personality and actress
- Rachel Reinert, American country singer and songwriter
- Rachel Riley, British television presenter
- Rachel Roberts, multiple people
- Rachel Robinson, American professor and nurse
- Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, American politician
- Rachel Rose, Canadian poet, essayist, and short story writer
- Rachel Rose (artist), American artist
- Rachel Rossi, American criminal justice lawyer
- Rachel Roy, American fashion designer
- Rachel Ruysch, Dutch still-life painter
- Rachel Scott, a victim in the Columbine High School massacre
- Rachel Scott (women's education reformer) née Cook, British women's education reformer, promoted equality for women
- Rachel Sebati, South African footballer
- Rachel Irene Seibert, American clubwoman
- Rachel Sennott, American actress and comedian
- Rachel Shelley, English actress and model
- Rachel Shenton, English actress and screenwriter
- Rachel Shoaf, American convicted of murder in 2013
- Rachel Smith, Miss USA 2007
- Rachel Smith (gymnast), British rhythmic gymnast
- Rachel Squire, British Labour politician
- Rachel Stephens, American actress
- Rachel Stevens, English pop singer, best known as a member of the band S Club 7
- Rachel Stevens (sculptor), American sculptor
- Rachel Stuart, Jamaican-Canadian model and actress
- Rachel Sung, American table tennis player
- Rachel Sutherland, New Zealand field hockey player
- Rachel Sweet, American producer, singer, and actress
- Rachel Talalay, American director and producer
- Rachel Talbot Ross, American politician and activist
- Rachel Thomas (disambiguation), multiple people
- Rachel Ticotin, American film and television actress
- Rachel Trachtenburg, American rock singer and drummer
- Rachel Treweek, British Anglican bishop
- Rachel True, American actress
- Rachel Tucker, Northern Irish musical theatre actress, and singer
- Rachel Uchitel, American nightclub manager and television personality
- Rachel Unitt, English footballer
- Rachel Vail, American author
- Rachel Vallarelli, American lacrosse player
- Rachel van Cutsen, Dutch badminton player
- Rachel van Dantzig, Dutch sculptor
- Rachael Vanderwal, British basketball player
- Rachel Van Hollebeke, American soccer player
- Rachel Veltri, American actress
- Rachel Viollet, British tennis player
- Rachel Wacholder, American professional beach volleyball player
- Rachel Wade, American teenager convicted of murder
- Rachel Walker (disambiguation), several people
- Rachel Ward, English-born Australian actress, columnist, film director, and screenwriter
- Rachel Ward, Countess of Dudley, British civic leader, philanthropist, and foundress of nursing orders
- Rachel Ward (mathematician), American applied mathematician
- Rachel Weisz, British actress
- Rachel Whetstone, British public relations executive
- Rachel White, multiple people
- Rachel Whiteread, English sculptor
- Rachel Williams (model), American model and television presenter
- Rachel Williams (footballer), English footballer
- Rachel DeLoache Williams, American writer
- Rachel Willis-Sørensen, American opera singer
- Rachel O. Wingate, English linguist
- Rachel Yakar, French opera singer
- Rachel Yang, Singaporean pole vaulter
- Rachel Yankey, English footballer
- Rachel Yehuda, American psychiatrist and neuroscientist
- Rachel Yeoh, Malaysian socialite and model
- Rachel York, American actress and singer
- Rachel Yurkovich, American javelin thrower
- Rachel Z, American pianist and keyboardist
- Rachel Zadok, South African writer
- Rachel Zajac, New Zealand forensic psychologist
- Rachel Zeffira, Canadian singer
- Rachel Zegler, American actress and singer
- Rachel Zilberberg, Polish resistance fighter during World War II
- Rachel Zimmerman, Canadian space scientist and inventor
- Rachel Zoe, American fashion designer, businesswoman, and writer
- Rachel Zolf, Canadian-American poet
- Rachel Zucker, American poet
Women named Rachael
- Hecate (musician), born Rachael Kozak, Swiss music producer
- Rachael Anderson, American female murder victim
- Rachael Bella, American actress, best known for her role in the 2002 film The Ring
- Rachael Blackmore, Irish jockey
- Rachael Blake, Australian actress
- Rachael Bland, Welsh BBC newsreader
- Rachael Boyle, Scottish footballer
- Rachael Carpani, Australian actress
- Rachael Cox-Davies, British nurse, matron of Royal Free Hospital and founding member of the Royal College of Nursing
- Rachael Denhollander, American lawyer, former gymnast and survivor
- Rachael Leigh Cook, American actress
- Rachael Finch, Miss Universe Australia 2009, 3rd runner-up at Miss Universe 2009
- Rachael Flatt, American figure skater
- Rachael Grinham, Australian squash player
- Rachael Gunn, Australian breakdancer known as Raygun
- Rachael Harris, American actress and comedian
- Rachael Heyhoe Flint, English cricketer
- Rachael Lampa, American singer/songwriter best known for her work in the anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena
- Rachael Letsche, British trampoline gymnast
- Rachael Lillis, American voice actress
- Rachael MacFarlane, American voice actress and sister of Seth MacFarlane
- Rachael McLaren, Canadian dancer
- Rachael Pratt, Australian army nurse
- Rachael Price, American jazz vocalist and lead vocalist of the band Lake Street Dive
- Rachael Ray, American celebrity chef and television personality
- Rachael Runyan, American murder victim
- Rachael Sage, American songwriter
- Rachael Scdoris, blind American dog musher and cross country runner
- Rachael Sporn, Australian female basketball player
- Rachael Stirling, British actress best known for the BBC drama Tipping the Velvet
- Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, American epidemiologist and dietitian
- Rachael Taylor, Australian actress
- Rachael Yamagata, American singer-songwriter
Women named Rachelle
- Rachelle Ferrell, American vocalist and musician
- Rachelle Ann Go, Filipina singer
- Rachelle Keck, American lawyer and academic administrator
- Rachelle Lefevre, Canadian actress
- Rachelle Smit, American politician
Women named Rachele
- Rachele Baldi, Italian footballer
- Rachele Barbieri, Italian road and track cyclist
- Rachele Bruni, Italian swimmer
- Rachele Fogar, Italian model and television personality
- Rachele Gilmore, American soprano
- Rachele Lynae, American country rock singer
- Rachele Mori, Italian hammer thrower
- Rachele Mussolini, wife of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
- Rachele Mussolini (politician), Italian politician
- Rachele Risaliti, Italian model
- Rachele Sangiuliano, Italian volleyball player
- Rachele Brooke Smith, American actor and dancer
- Alice Rachele Arlanch, Italian beauty pageant winner
Fictional characters named Rachel (or variants thereof)
- Rachael, a character in Hard Times.
- Rachel, one of the six main characters of Animorphs
- Rachel, a character from the Rhapsody in Blue segment of the Disney movie Fantasia 2000
- Rachel, a character in Stephen King's short story The raft
- Rachael, a replicant in the science fiction film Blade Runner
- Rachel, a friend of Vivian Ward and Kit DeLuca in the romantic movie Pretty Woman
- Rachel, a character in Pokémon Masters EX
- Rachael (Battle Arena Toshinden), a character in the Battle Arena Toshinden fighting game series
- Rachel, a female warrior from the Ninja Gaiden series of video games
- Naughty Rachel, in the British TV Series Green Wing
- Rachel Aldridge, Lady Sinderby, a character introduced in season 5 of the TV show Downton Abbey
- Rachel Alucard, in the BlazBlue video game series
- Rachel Amber, a side character in Life Is Strange and a main character in its spinoff, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm
- Rachel Berry, in the television series Glee
- Rachel Santiago-Bravante, a character from the Filipino drama series Asawa Ko, Karibal Ko
- Rachel Brown, in the play Inherit the Wind
- Rachel Buchman, a character in Rachel getting married
- Rachel Carruthers, in the Halloween film series
- Rachel Chu, in the American romantic comedy-drama film Crazy Rich Asians
- Rachel Creed, wife of the main character in Stephen King's 1983 horror novel Pet Sematary
- Rachel Elizabeth Dare, in the young adult book series Percy Jackson & the Olympians
- Rachel Dalles, a character in the Black Butler manga series and anime
- Rachel Dawes, Assistant District Attorney in the Batman series of movies
- Rachel Duncan, in the TV show Orphan Black
- Rachel Finer, in the Netflix series Grand Army
- Rachel Gardner, in the Angels of Death video game
- Rachel Gatina, in the TV show One Tree Hill
- Rachel Gibson, in Season 5 of Alias
- Rachel Green, in the TV series Friends
- Rachel Greene, a character in the TV series ER, daughter of Mark Greene
- Rachel Hardy, a character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks
- Rachel Kinski, a character in the Australian soap opera Neighbours
- Rachel Lang, the main character in The Rage: Carrie 2
- Rachel Larsen, a.k.a. Rikka Hishikawa, in the anime DokiDoki! PreCure
- Rachel Leighton, also known as Diamondback in Marvel Comics
- Rachel Lynde, a supporting character in Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables
- Rachel Mason, Headmistress of Waterloo Road in the BBC drama Waterloo Road
- Rachel Menken, Don Draper's client's daughter and a love interest in Mad Men
- Rachel Moore, of Case Closed
- Rachel Quinn, a character in Chrononauts and Chrononauts: Futureshock
- Rachel Raskin, a character in The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder
- Rachel Roth, the false civilian name of Raven
- Rachel Spies, a minor character in Stephen King's Carrie
- Rachel Summers, a character in the Marvel Universe, daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey
- Rachel T. McKenzie, from the Cartoon Network animated series Codename: Kids Next Door
- Rachel Taub, a supporting character on the TV show House, the wife of Dr. Chris Taub
- Rachel Teller, a character in the Need for Speed Underground 2
- Rachel Tice, a recurring character in the web series The Most Popular Girls in School
- Rachel Van Helsing, a character in Marvel Comics
- Rachel Walker, a main character in the Rainbow Magic book franchise
- Rachel Wilson, a minor character in the Cartoon Network series The Amazing World of Gumball
- Rachel Zane, a character in the American TV show Suits
- Rachel, a character in the manga and anime series Edens Zero who is the mother of the main heroine Rebecca Bluegarden
Variant names
- Rae, 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, the daughter of the protagonist of the 1779 play Nathan the Wise.
- Rachelsea, a portmanteau of the names Rachel and Chelsea