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Rachel
WDYT?“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
- Abraham Lincoln
PNL:
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/157557
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I keep seeing 'rage hell' now lol.
But it's an attractive classic name with some strength to it and I like it a lot, and I've liked all the Rachels I've met. One of my 3xgreat-grandmothers was also a Rachel (or possibly a Rachael: her records use both spellings) & various subsequent family members have had it as a middle name, where it was quite nice and unexpected.
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I love it. Even though I like Rachael better, I would use Rachel just for simplicity sake.
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It's all right. It was so popular in my generation and the one before it that it just seems bland to me now.
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I like Rachel. I think I prefer Rachael, though.The only thing that puts me off is that the chances of a Rachel becoming known as Ray are 99.99% and rising.
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Nope. No one has ever called me Ray/Rae, but I get Rach, all the time.

This message was edited 5/5/2018, 9:53 AM

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QuoteThe only thing that puts me off is that the chances of a Rachel becoming known as Ray are 99.99% and rising.
Is that something that happens around you? I knew several Rachels and also was one (still am). Only one went by Rae and she only went by it because she and I were in a couple of the same classes and she switched to differentiate herself. Otherwise, a Rachel was more likely to just get "Rach" as a casual nickname.
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Yep.Rachel and Rachael are plenty common in my age group and my best friend since I was 11 is a Rachel (in Australia) and they all get 'Rach' or maybe sometimes 'Rachie' as nicknames- never ever Ray. Ray/Rae are very dated in Australia though so that might be part of it.
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I've never known a Rach! Afrikaans Rachel people (and they are Rachel, not Rachael) become Rachie, with the ch "as in Scottish 'loch'", as people say, and it's close enough. Come to think of it, I've known a couple of Rachels who were known as Ray, but I think they were both originally from the UK; one certainly was.
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I really like it
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I've always liked Raquel but never really noticed Rachel.A masculine name I get the same sort of vibe from is Joshua.
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Rachel is a really lovely solid name, but Rachel from Friends kind of ruined it for me. I hate her character and it overpowers all my positive associations.I think it's got a really sweet sound. Pretty, but not flowery.Definitely a classic name.
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I like it, for the sound and look written out.Plus my association with Rachels is extremely positive. All the ones I’ve known are smart and strong.

This message was edited 5/3/2018, 6:30 PM

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The name is okay, but it sounds kind of ugly to me, probably because of a neighbor named Rachel I used to have who was a completely awful person as well as annoying and I just don't like the sound of it.
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Love it! It’s a beautiful, understated classic that works on any type of woman. I also love it with the Hebrew pronunciation (with a hard ch).
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There's something about it that has taken it off of my list before, although I added it back again recently. Maybe bc it's not "fresh" enough for me? I have contradictory feelings about it.

This message was edited 5/3/2018, 4:16 PM

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I love it, it's the best name in the world. Only if it's spelled Rachael, though. ;)
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It's a classic. It fits in a "professional" environment. It's also still visible on kids. Nothing really "objectionable" about it... I just don't like it. I don't understand how the "aitch" sound could be perceived as attractive - and I don't even think Rachel, the original (English) spelling, looks complete. I actually think Rachael looks better, though the sound still isn't attractive, imo.The Latin Rahel, however, is pretty.

This message was edited 5/3/2018, 3:24 PM

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Agree with all of this. Its sound is very grating to the ear. Not pleasant at all. Rahel is much prettier.

This message was edited 5/4/2018, 7:28 AM

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I love Rachel. I love the sound and the way the harsher RAYCH is balanced out by a softer el, I love the vibe I get from it, I love that it reminds me of a beautiful deep forestry green color, I even find the meaning rather charming. I’d consider irl, even, if not for the fact that it will surely be considered a “mom name” at that point. Oh well. A middle name, maybe.
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I don't dislike it, but there are quite a few Biblical names I like more. It does have some charm, but it's a little harsh.
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It's a solid classic, but a dated one. I would put it in a similar category as Deborah, Stephanie, Amanda or Rebecca, all dated classics, but dated to different decades. Deborah is very 60s, Stephanie and Amanda are 80s and Rachel has a very strong 90s feel to me which is when it peaked, even though it was certainly common before the 90s as well. I also think of Rachel from Friends. I find the sound a bit harsh as well, but overall it's perfectly fine. I just feel like it's more a name of my own generation and feel that it's a bit tired due to overuse.
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It's my own name, so I don't dislike it. But I know several and it feels unexciting as a first name. It does feel fresher as a middle name (and is a very good alternative to Rae which is very common as a MN).
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Rachel makes a great mn, agreed.
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