Girl nameCurrently #342 in the USFalling
Rebecca
rih-BEK-uh//rɪˈbɛkə//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19817 lettersStarts with R
Meaning & origin
To bind, or captivating
Rebecca comes from the Hebrew Rivka, a root often connected to binding or tying, sometimes interpreted as suggesting a captivating quality. In Genesis she is the clever, resolute wife of Isaac, and the name has remained a steady, well-loved English classic for centuries.
Rebecca's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Rebecca |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 236 |
| 1881 | 226 |
| 1882 | 259 |
| 1883 | 244 |
| 1884 | 278 |
| 1885 | 302 |
| 1886 | 355 |
| 1887 | 275 |
| 1888 | 337 |
| 1889 | 337 |
| 1890 | 374 |
| 1891 | 320 |
| 1892 | 353 |
| 1893 | 358 |
| 1894 | 399 |
| 1895 | 386 |
| 1896 | 371 |
| 1897 | 376 |
| 1898 | 376 |
| 1899 | 347 |
| 1900 | 503 |
| 1901 | 342 |
| 1902 | 382 |
| 1903 | 334 |
| 1904 | 371 |
| 1905 | 402 |
| 1906 | 397 |
| 1907 | 400 |
| 1908 | 451 |
| 1909 | 477 |
| 1910 | 519 |
| 1911 | 546 |
| 1912 | 754 |
| 1913 | 744 |
| 1914 | 897 |
| 1915 | 1,169 |
| 1916 | 1,132 |
| 1917 | 1,215 |
| 1918 | 1,253 |
| 1919 | 1,267 |
| 1920 | 1,277 |
| 1921 | 1,272 |
| 1922 | 1,303 |
| 1923 | 1,281 |
| 1924 | 1,364 |
| 1925 | 1,211 |
| 1926 | 1,149 |
| 1927 | 1,266 |
| 1928 | 1,121 |
| 1929 | 1,084 |
| 1930 | 1,121 |
| 1931 | 1,097 |
| 1932 | 1,198 |
| 1933 | 1,072 |
| 1934 | 1,167 |
| 1935 | 1,208 |
| 1936 | 1,210 |
| 1937 | 1,219 |
| 1938 | 1,582 |
| 1939 | 1,805 |
| 1940 | 2,568 |
| 1941 | 2,932 |
| 1942 | 3,252 |
| 1943 | 3,277 |
| 1944 | 3,258 |
| 1945 | 3,337 |
| 1946 | 4,850 |
| 1947 | 6,346 |
| 1948 | 6,811 |
| 1949 | 8,796 |
| 1950 | 9,443 |
| 1951 | 10,946 |
| 1952 | 12,249 |
| 1953 | 12,982 |
| 1954 | 13,228 |
| 1955 | 12,418 |
| 1956 | 12,189 |
| 1957 | 11,514 |
| 1958 | 10,432 |
| 1959 | 10,494 |
| 1960 | 9,994 |
| 1961 | 10,267 |
| 1962 | 9,425 |
| 1963 | 9,421 |
| 1964 | 9,498 |
| 1965 | 10,237 |
| 1966 | 9,814 |
| 1967 | 9,853 |
| 1968 | 10,253 |
| 1969 | 10,988 |
| 1970 | 10,884 |
| 1971 | 12,238 |
| 1972 | 13,317 |
| 1973 | 14,925 |
| 1974 | 15,214 |
| 1975 | 13,996 |
| 1976 | 14,543 |
| 1977 | 14,254 |
| 1978 | 13,851 |
| 1979 | 14,602 |
| 1980 | 15,328 |
| 1981 | 16,801 |
| 1982 | 15,793 |
| 1983 | 14,773 |
| 1984 | 13,394 |
| 1985 | 12,756 |
| 1986 | 11,849 |
| 1987 | 11,673 |
| 1988 | 11,915 |
| 1989 | 12,520 |
| 1990 | 13,715 |
| 1991 | 13,332 |
| 1992 | 13,130 |
| 1993 | 12,341 |
| 1994 | 11,299 |
| 1995 | 9,924 |
| 1996 | 10,638 |
| 1997 | 9,642 |
| 1998 | 8,434 |
| 1999 | 7,448 |
| 2000 | 7,086 |
| 2001 | 5,900 |
| 2002 | 5,230 |
| 2003 | 4,875 |
| 2004 | 4,494 |
| 2005 | 4,026 |
| 2006 | 3,577 |
| 2007 | 3,220 |
| 2008 | 2,928 |
| 2009 | 2,476 |
| 2010 | 2,298 |
| 2011 | 2,118 |
| 2012 | 2,019 |
| 2013 | 1,805 |
| 2014 | 1,781 |
| 2015 | 1,728 |
| 2016 | 1,578 |
| 2017 | 1,440 |
| 2018 | 1,459 |
| 2019 | 1,260 |
| 2020 | 1,211 |
| 2021 | 1,049 |
| 2022 | 1,074 |
| 2023 | 984 |
| 2024 | 910 |
Rebecca through the decades
- Rebecca peaked in 1981, when 16,801 babies were named Rebecca in the US.
- The 1970s were Rebecca's strongest decade, averaging 13,782 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Rebecca has fallen 52% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Rebecca currently ranks #342 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
BeckyBex
Variants & spellings
Rebekah