Raquel

Raquel is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Rachel. The name Rachel is borne from the Bible and comes from the Hebrew word meaning “ewe”. In Genesis 29:1-30, Jacob can’t help but to notice the strikingly beautiful shepherdess named Rachel and it’s love at first sight. In order to gain Rachel’s hand in marriage, Jacob first labored seven years for her father, Laban. At the end of seven years, Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Rachel’s older sister Leah first. After another seven years work for Laban, Jacob finally gets to take Rachel as his second wife (and she is also his favorite). Poor Leah was nowhere near as pretty as her sister Rachel, but she was one fertile lady who bore Jacob several sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun). Rachel on the other hand had a terrible time conceiving (which in Biblical times was a great source of shame). Rachel finally conceives and bears Jacob two of his twelve sons (who would later become the Twelve Tribes of Israel). Her first son is Joseph who, like his mother, became Jacob’s favorite son and to whom he gave a “coat of many colors”. Sadly, Rachel died in childbirth while delivering her second son (Benjamin) whom she names “Ben-oni” or “son of my sorrow”. Jacob later changed the boy’s name to Benjamin (“son of my old age”), undoing the unfortunate stigma left by his mother. Traditionally, Rachel has always been considered a Jewish name given her importance as the favorite wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Then the Puritans adopted the name Rachel during the Reformation and since the 17th century Rachel has been widely used among the Gentiles. The Spanish and Portuguese Raquel is currently a Top 100 favorite in both Spain and Brazil.