A question, for which I hope this group may supply me with an answer. In my research into the Lopes family of Braganza, Bordeaux and then Amsterdam/The Hague and London I came across one line with a peculiar surname, Berachel or Berahel. It is an exceedingly rare surname, all Berachels I could find in the records of the Amsterdam and London Sephardic congregations are related. As you may know, that is a rare treat, as the problem with Sephardic genealofy is the endless occurrence of similar names. In fact, it must have been unusual for the Sephardim as well, as there many variants in the records (Berachel, Berahel, Barahel, Beruhiel, Baringuel, Beruxiel and so on). Can anyone tell me where they might get this name from? Is it Hebrew? And what might it mean? Google I have already tried - I found a reference that claims it is an angel's name, but that was not a trustworthy source. I hope that you can point me in the right direction!