Rebecca
Rebecca or Rebekah is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It is the name of the biblical figure Rebecca, wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau. The name comes from the Semitic root ר-ב-ק (r-b-q), meaning "to tie firmly"; Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names and the NOBS Study Bible Name List suggest the name means captivating beauty, or "to tie", "to bind". W. F.
Meaning & Origin of Rebecca
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Rebecca or Rebekah is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It is the name of the biblical figure Rebecca, wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau. The name comes from the Semitic root ר-ב-ק (r-b-q), meaning "to tie firmly"; Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names and the NOBS Study Bible Name List suggest the name means captivating beauty, or "to tie", "to bind". W. F.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Rebecca
Rebecca first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 236 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1981, when 16,737 Rebeccas were born — ranking #12 that year. As of 2026, Rebecca ranks #358 for baby girls with 860 births, falling sharply (-26%). In total, more than 757K Rebeccas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Rebecca
Phonetically similar names — useful when Rebecca is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rebecca
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About the name Rebecca
Rebecca is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 757K births in the dataset. Rebecca's peak popularity came in 1981 when it ranked #10. Use the chart and map above to compare Rebecca's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1981 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.