Rachel

American  

[rey-chuhl] / ˈreɪ tʃəl /

noun

1. Jacob's favored wife, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Genesis 29–35.

2. a female given name.

---

Rachel British  

noun

1. Old Testament the second and best-loved wife of Jacob; mother of Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 29–35)

2. original name Elisa Félix . 1820–58, French tragic actress, famous for her roles in the plays of Racine and Corneille

---

Rachel Cultural  

1. The second wife of Jacob (see Jacob and Esau). She was sterile for many years, but eventually had two sons: Joseph (see Joseph and his brothers) and Benjamin.

---

Etymology

Origin of Rachel

From Late Latin, from Greek Rhachḗl, from Hebrew rāḥēl “ewe, female lamb”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Rachel

By Rachel Cusk Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 192 pages, $27 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

As an actress, Meghan was best known for her part in the US legal drama, Suits, in which she played lawyer, Rachel Zane, for seven seasons.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Rachel jumps in: “It was a different time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

What goes down: Rachel Sennott, the show’s creator, stars as Maia, an assistant talent manager.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

I could tell her about talking to Oliver, the incident with Rachel at lunch, Harper telling me not to come back to the invisible table....Lorren would be sympathetic.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows