Girl · #358 in 2026

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.

  • English
  • Italian
  • Swedish
  • German
Current Rank
#358
Peak Rank
#10 (1981)
Total Babies
757K
5-Yr Trend
-26%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1981
Peak Year
#10
Peak Rank
757K
Total Count
147
Years Active

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 →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English
  • Italian
  • Swedish
  • German
  • Dutch
  • Biblical
  • Biblical Latin
  • French

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. The name hit its high-water mark in 1981: 16,737 births, good for #12 nationwide. As of 2026, Rebecca ranks #358 for baby girls with 860 births, falling sharply (-26%). All told, over 757K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Rebecca

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Rebecca. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

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

What does the name Rebecca mean?
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.
What is the origin of the name Rebecca?
Rebecca has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Italian, Swedish, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, French.
How popular is Rebecca in 2026?
In 2026, Rebecca ranks #358 among girls' names in the U.S., with 860 babies given the name that year.
When was Rebecca most popular?
Rebecca reached its peak popularity in 1981, ranking #10 that year with 16,737 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Rebecca most popular?
Rebecca has historically been most popular in Utah, New Hampshire, Oregon. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Rebecca.
Is Rebecca a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Rebecca is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Rebecca?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Rebecca include Laura, Lillian, Carolyn. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Rebecca?
Common variants and related forms of Rebecca include Becca, Becci, Beck, Becka, Beckah, Becki. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

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Carolyn
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Luna
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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

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.