Rachel (English)
Where does "Rachel" come from?
The English name Rachel has a rich historical lineage, tracing back through Late Latin 'Rāchēl'[1] and Ancient Greek 'Ῥαχήλ'[1][2] to Biblical Hebrew 'רָחֵל'[1], where it originally meant 'ewe'[1]. The Hebrew term itself derives from Proto-Semitic '*raḫil-'[3]. Additionally, the English name shares a doublet relationship with 'Raquel'[1].
Open questions
- The Proto-Semitic form '*raḫil-' is a reconstructed ancestor. [3]
Full etymology tree
- Rachel (English), 'Younger daughter of Laban, sister to Leah, and second wife of Jacob.'
- borrowed Rachel (Latin), 'a female given name from Hebrew'
- inherited Ῥαχήλ (Rhakhḗl) (Ancient Greek), 'Rachel'
- inherited רָחֵל (rāḫēl) (Biblical Hebrew)
- inherited *raḫil- (Proto-Semitic)
- inherited רָחֵל (rāḫēl) (Biblical Hebrew)
- inherited Ῥαχήλ (Rhakhḗl) (Ancient Greek), 'Rachel'
- borrowed Rachel (Latin), 'a female given name from Hebrew'
Ancestors
- Rachel (Latin)
- Ῥαχήλ (Ancient Greek)
Cognates and doublets
- Raquel (English)
Descendants and derived words
- Finchel (English)
Sources
- Rachel (English) - Wiktionary
- Rachel (Latin) - Wiktionary
- Ῥαχήλ (Rhakhḗl) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris