UNIT 1 (7)
1. My name is Raquel which is a variant of Rachel that derives from the Hebrew name רָחֵל. Classically, it is of Hebrew origin. Rachel means "ewe, a female sheep". In the bible (old testament), she is the favoured wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin.
In Portugal there are a set of names frequently used such as Manuel, José, João for men and Maria, Joana, Ana for women. I think these would never be obsolete. Actually, biblical names are pretty used by people living in Jewish or Christian parts of the world.
2. Sousa is definitely a common family name in Portugal and in portuguese speaking countries. Other common forms are Souza (archaic) and Sosa (castellano) Interestingly, I found out that, in Biology, one group of cetaceans (from Delphinidae family) went by the name of Sousa.
3. Sousa has its origins in an old portuguese family. D. Egas Gomes de Sousa was the first gentleman carrying the name who toke it from the land, Terras de Sousa. There flows the Sousa river whose nascent is in Felgueiras, a little city in the North.
4. My name doesn't refer to any animal or profession but, here there are other names that suggest so. Like, Cordeiro (lamb), Coelho (rabbit), Sardinha (sardine), Sapateiro (shoemaker), Corvo (crow), Peixe (fish), etc.
5. Well, I think that here we are very traditional naming people, and therefore, it seems to exist no popular "foreigner" names.
7. Just for folks. I usually prefer the first name...I introduce myself just as Raquel and my friends often call me Raks/Rak, a short for Raquel. The titles are used as polite manners, primarly with older people, bosses or professors at University.
8. Pet names are often very soppy but sometimes it is possilble to notice people calling each other interesting and funny pet names...it's very amusing and cute! In Portugal, the pet names often used are fofinho, amor (love), mor (short for amor), bébé (baby), querida (darling)...and others like panqueca (pancake), txutxu, biju...