Well.......I think that there's a tendency in modern-day 'baby-naming' books to tone down or to soften the original meaning of certain names.  For example, some sources will tell you that "Tristan" derives from "tryst" -- i.e. the character of a great lover.  Well......at it's root, that's simply not true.

Rachel is a Hebrew name.  And of course, the most famous Rachel of them all is found in the pages of the Old Testament.  Back then, names weren't just sounds like they are today -- names were actually supposed to connote something of the individual's character.  In fact, an individual's name would sometimes change depending upon characteristics in that person which didn't become apparent until later in life.  They'd get a new name -- a name to reflect who they were.

I don't have any sources here in front of me.....but I've seen Rachel defined as "wild goat" in original Hebrew interpretations.  It was also meant to convey the essence of the Old Testament Rachel's personality and character........free-ranging and not quite tameable.  But beautiful at the same time.  Or at least that's the way that wild goats were thought of in those days.

There's much about ancient ways of looking at things & ancient attitudes that the modern mind doesn't quite grasp without study.

One of our greatest flaws today is that we generally consider ourselves to be superior to our ancestors.  In many cases: it's actually the other way around.

Something To Do At 3:00AM