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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Rachel f. Hebrew רָחֵל 'ewe'.

The name of the Biblical wife of Jacob and matriarch. Wycliffite Bible (1395): Rachel.

The name was rare before the 16th century, and came into use in England, France, and the Netherlands with the Reformation. For more information, see Withycombe s.n. Rachel.

England
English
1558–9 Rachell StMary-Ke p. 2; 1569 Rachell CAmar-vol1 p. 2; 1588 Rachell OrpingtonKe p. 8
Cite as: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Rachel". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2015, no. 2. http://dmnes.org/2015/2/name/Rachel.