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Rebecca

♀ Girl

Pronounced reh-BEK-ah /rɪˈbɛk.ə/High

Meaning: From the Hebrew Rivkah, possibly from 'ribqah' (to bind or tie) or related to a root meaning 'captivating' or 'beautiful to behold'. Rebecca was the wife of Isaac in the Book of Genesis.High

In 30 seconds: Rebecca is one of the great biblical matriarchs — the wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau — whose name has endured for over three thousand years. Elegant, strong, and timelessly feminine.
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Origin HighHebrew
MeaningFrom the Hebrew Rivkah, possibly from 'ribqah' (to bind or tie) or related to a root meaning 'captivating' or 'beautiful to behold'. Rebecca was the wife of Isaac in the Book of Genesis.
U.S. rank (2025)#350 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births872 girls (0.05% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1981
Total births (all-time)≈ 755,955

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 198118802025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

Rebecca derives from the Hebrew Rivkah, whose precise meaning is debated — it may relate to a verb meaning 'to bind', suggesting beauty that captivates or binds a man, or to an Aramaic root. In the Book of Genesis, Rebecca (Rebekah) was the wife chosen for Isaac by Abraham's servant, and she was the mother of the twins Jacob and Esau, playing a decisive role in securing the blessing for Jacob.

Rebecca was widely used in Puritan England and colonial America, where biblical matriarch names were fashionable. It experienced a major popularity surge in the mid-twentieth century in the United States and United Kingdom. Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca (1938) and its 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film adaptation gave the name an enduring gothic-romantic quality. Today it remains in the US top 200 and is a classic with both biblical authority and literary elegance.

Did you know? Daphne du Maurier's gothic masterpiece Rebecca (1938) — 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again' — is one of the most famous opening lines in English literature, and the novel made Rebecca simultaneously the most romantic and most sinister of names.
Overall data confidence 90%
Strong's Hebrew Concordance — Etymology of Hebrew RivkahSocial Security Administration Name Data — US popularity history for Rebecca

Variations

RebekahRebecaRebeccah

Nicknames

BeccaBeckyReba

Famous Bearers

  • ★Rebecca (Rivkah, biblical) (c. 2000–1800 BCE)
    Wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau, one of the four matriarchs of Judaism.
  • ★Rebecca Ferguson (1983–)
    Swedish actress known for the Mission: Impossible franchise and Dune.

If you like Rebecca…

Rachel— Hebrew biblical matriarch name with the same deep Old Testament heritage and timeless feminine appeal
Naomi— three-syllable Hebrew biblical name with the same matriarchal dignity and literary/cinematic revival
Esther— Hebrew biblical heroine name with the same Puritan/colonial popularity and classic revival

Frequently Asked

What does the name Rebecca mean?

Rebecca means 'to bind' or 'captivating', from Hebrew Rivkah — the wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob in Genesis.

How do you pronounce Rebecca?

Rebecca is pronounced reh-BEK-ah (/rɪˈbɛk.ə/), three syllables with stress on the second.

Is Rebecca a boy or girl name?

Rebecca is a girl's name with an unbroken feminine tradition.

How popular is Rebecca?

Rebecca has been in the US top 20–100 girls' names for most of the twentieth century and remains in the top 200 today.