The name Rachel originates from the Hebrew name רָחֵל (Raḥel), meaning 'ewe'. In the Old Testament, Rachel is the favorite wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Her story includes being initially barren, offering her handmaid Bilhah to Jacob to bear children, and eventually conceiving Joseph and Benjamin. The name was common among Jews in the Middle Ages but gained popularity in the English-speaking world after the Protestant ...