In the Hebrew Bible, Rachel was the beloved, beautiful wife of Jacob—who met her when she tended sheep, thus “ewe” being the Hebrew name's meaning—and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin—who became the heads of two of the twelve tribes of Israel. Though the name was once common among Jewish people in the Middle Ages, it gained favor in Christian communities after the Reformation in the early 16th century. It has been popular among parents of many ethnic groups ever since. There are many celebrities named Rachel—McAdams, Weisz, and Maddow, to name a few—not to mention Rachel Greene, played by Jennifer Aniston in the TV series Friends.