Rachel Carson
American conservationist; author of Silent Spring
Girl Old & New Testament Known
Rachel
sheep
רָחֵל Ῥαχήλ ra.chel
Rachel (Hebrew: רָחֵל, ra.chel) means “sheep”, by traditional interpretation. It appears in 45 verses across 5 books of the Bible. In 2025 it was given to 1,225 children in the United States, ranking 250. Use is falling away. Around 575,748 Americans have been given it since 1880. Appears with Bilhah in Genesis 46.
Merged person graphTIPNR + BibleData
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Rachel
mother of Joseph; spouse of Jacob
TIPNR + BibleDataSSA · public domain
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
Concordance Depth Index
94.3 · rank 62
US usage today
rank 250 · 1,225 births in 2025
TIPNR + BibleDataSTEPBible · CC BY
At a glance
- Verses
- 45 across 5 books
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Both
- Era
- Patriarchal
SSA · public domainibge_censoine_es_edad_mediaIRN PT
The same name elsewhere
| Country | Form | Standing | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Rachel | rank 250 · 1,225 in 2025 | Births in year |
| Brazil | RAQUEL | 286,415 bearers · born 1930–2010 | Living residents |
| Spain | RAQUEL | 147,129 bearers · mean age 42.4 | Living residents |
| Portugal | Raquel | permitted | IRN approved list |
Two different questions are shown here. Rows marked births in year count children registered during a period; rows marked living residents count people of every age alive at a census. They answer different questions and are never added together.
SSA · public domainBirths in year
Using it today
Very unlikely to share a classroom with another.
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
| Measure | Value | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Given in 2025 | 1,225 | Falling |
| All-time total | 575,748 | Since records begin in 1880 |
| Peak | 16,437 in 1985 | Its highest year on record |
| Strongest state | NY | Highest share relative to births |
Merged person graph45 verse pairs
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Genesis 29:6 |
| Last appears | Matthew 2:18 |
| Cross-references | 664 linked passages |
Computed · A2/A3Rationale generated
Names connected to this one
- Leah co-occurrence Appears with Leah in Genesis 29.
- Bilhah co-occurrence Appears with Bilhah in Genesis 46.
- Israel co-occurrence Appears with Israel in Genesis 29.
- Laban co-occurrence Appears with Laban in Genesis 29.
- Dan co-occurrence Appears with Dan in Genesis 35.
- Joseph co-occurrence Appears with Joseph in Genesis 33.
- Zilpah co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Zilpah.
- Naphtali co-occurrence Appears with Naphtali in Genesis 35.
Origin & meaning
Strong's number
H7354
Hebrew
רָחֵל
Greek
Ῥαχήλ
Transliteration
ra.chel
A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.6;
daughter of: Laban (H3837A);
sister of: Leah (H3812); married to Israel (H3478);
mother of: Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144)
Also named: Rhachēl (Ῥαχήλ "Rachel" G4478)
§ Rachel = "ewe"
daughter of Laban, wife of Jacob, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin
Rachel was the beloved wife of Jacob, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.
The biblical story
Rachel was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah (Gen.29.16). She became the beloved wife of Israel (or 'Jacob'), who worked for Laban for fourteen years to marry her (Gen.29.18-30). Rachel was initially unable to conceive, while Leah bore several children (Gen.29.31-35). In her distress, Rachel gave her maidservant Bilhah to Jacob, and Bilhah bore Dan and Naphtali (Gen.30.1-8). Eventually, God remembered Rachel, and she gave birth to Joseph (Gen.30.22-24). When Jacob left Laban, Rachel stole her father's household idols (Gen.31.19). She later hid them and deceived her father when he came searching for them (Gen.31.34-35). As Jacob's family journeyed to Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel went into labor and gave birth to Benjamin, but she died during childbirth (Gen.35.16-20). Jacob buried her on the way to Ephrath and set up a pillar on her grave (Gen.35.20). Rachel's sons, Joseph and Benjamin, became two of the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen.46.19-22). Her tomb became a landmark (1Sa.10.2) and is mentioned in Jer.31.15, where her weeping is used as a symbol for Israel's mourning during the Babylonian exile. This passage is also quoted in Mat.2.18 in relation to Herod's massacre of the innocents.
Key verses
Rachel appears in 45 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
-
And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.
Genesis 29:6 -
And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep: for she kept them.
Genesis 29:9 -
And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.
Genesis 29:10 -
And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
Genesis 29:11 -
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son: and she ran and told her father.
Genesis 29:12
Show all 45 references
Genesis (41)
- Genesis 29:6
- Genesis 29:9
- Genesis 29:10
- Genesis 29:11
- Genesis 29:12
- Genesis 29:16
- Genesis 29:17
- Genesis 29:18
- Genesis 29:20
- Genesis 29:25
- Genesis 29:28
- Genesis 29:29
- Genesis 29:30
- Genesis 29:31
- Genesis 30:1
- Genesis 30:2
- Genesis 30:6
- Genesis 30:7
- Genesis 30:8
- Genesis 30:14
- Genesis 30:15
- Genesis 30:22
- Genesis 30:25
- Genesis 31:4
- Genesis 31:14
- Genesis 31:19
- Genesis 31:32
- Genesis 31:33
- Genesis 31:34
- Genesis 33:1
- Genesis 33:2
- Genesis 33:7
- Genesis 35:16
- Genesis 35:19
- Genesis 35:20
- Genesis 35:24
- Genesis 35:25
- Genesis 46:19
- Genesis 46:22
- Genesis 46:25
- Genesis 48:7
Ruth (1)
- Ruth 4:11
1 Samuel (1)
- 1 Samuel 10:2
Jeremiah (1)
- Jeremiah 31:15
Matthew (1)
- Matthew 2:18
Name variants & nicknames
- Rae — nickname
- Rachael — spelling variant
- Raquel — Spanish & Portuguese
- Rahel — Hebrew form
Notable people with this name
Rachel Weisz
Oscar-winning British actress
Rachel Maddow
American political commentator and television host