Raquel is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Rachel, from the Hebrew word for "ewe", a symbol of gentleness; in Genesis Rachel is the beloved wife of Jacob. Actress Raquel Welch made the name glamorous in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. Raquel ranked number 342 in 2000, its best year in this century, and has declined to number 1123 in 2025.