An unknown past
human world origin of Rangiku, continued
We've talked about the meaning of Rangiku's name before, and in my opinion, her first name in particular could serve as a good hint to her former identity in the human world - the Rangiku before Soul Society reincarnation.
First of all, chrysanthemum is a genus that's native to both Asia and northeastern Europe. Take a look at Rangiku's appearance and you'll understand my point: blond hair and blue eyes? Northeastern Europe? Makes sense. With the exception of Soul Society aristocrats, whenever a new soul is transported into Soul Society, it's assigned randomly to a Rukongai district regardless of its former status or ethnic background in the human world, resulting in the strange mix we see in Soul Society today. Therefore, it's not difficult to imagine Rangiku as an European baby before she was sent to Soul Society, maybe from a rich and well-educated bloodline, which would also explain Rangiku's strangely elegant color preference despite her Rukongai background.