Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kathleen Kennedy invited Michael Arndt to write three screenplays for the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and J.J. Abrams directed the first film featuring Rey. The filmmakers made Rey a scavenger to portray her as the ultimate outsider and disenfranchised person.
Daisy Ridley auditioned four or five times over seven months before being cast as Rey. Lucasfilm announced her casting at the end of April 2014 after she kept the role secret for three months.
Rey discovers a connection in the Force with Kylo Ren that makes them two halves of a dyad in the Force. Co-writer Chris Terrio describes this relationship as soulmates in the Force and twins of fate and destiny.
In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren tells Rey that her parents were nobodies. The Rise of Skywalker reveals that she has no known lineage connected to major characters like Luke Skywalker or Han Solo.
Hasbro withheld Rey from early toy releases to avoid spoilers regarding the fact that the Force awakens in her character. Paul Southern stated that demand for Rey products was underestimated by Lucasfilm Licensing.