Girl's name
Rebecca
Say it reh-BEK-uh
Hebrew origin enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare
3 syllables
Where Rebecca is loved, common and rare
Common in Italy. Rare in Ireland, Austria, four German cities and 12 more places.
1 in 660 girls born in Ireland in 2025
Italy 28thIreland 141stAustria 187th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 19 of the 40 official lists, among them Italy (28th), Ireland (141st) and Austria (187th).
Show all 19 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 28th 2024 | 1,231 | 1 in 146 |
| Ireland | 141st 2025 | 32 | 1 in 660 |
| Austria | 187th 2025 | 32 | 1 in 1,116 |
| Munich city | 201st 2025 | 6 | about 1 in 699 |
| Northern Ireland | 231st 2025 | 7 | 1 in 1,041 |
| Quebec province | 250th 2025 | 23 | about 1 in 1,131 |
| Ontario province | 257th 2024 | 48 | about 1 in 1,135 |
| Scotland | 272nd 2025 | 13 | 1 in 1,376 |
| Switzerland | 293rd 2025 | 24 | 1 in 1,416 |
| England and Wales | 413th 2025 | 98 | 1 in 2,584 |
| Cologne city | 419th 2023 | 2 | about 1 in 3,072 |
| Sweden | 436th 2025 | 15 | about 1 in 2,678 |
| Norway | 454th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 4,359 |
| British Columbia province | 457th 2023 | 7 | about 1 in 1,708 |
| Berlin city | 528th 2023 | 5 | about 1 in 2,901 |
| France | 529th 2025 | 110 | 1 in 2,607 |
| Poland | 583rd 2025 | 3 | 1 in 39,929 |
| The Netherlands | 767th 2025 | 14 | about 1 in 4,358 |
| Bonn city | 382nd 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 3,015 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Leipzig, Rostock, Spain, Catalonia, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
In the Latin Vulgate Bible, the name of Rebekah, wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau, is spelled Rebecca. It goes back to the Hebrew Rivka, glossed as 'enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare'.
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Three syllables, said reh-BEK-uh, with the stress in the middle. Becky and Becca are the familiar short forms. Rebekah is the biblical spelling, and Rivka, Rebeka and Rebekka are used in other languages.
Canadian records place its peak in the early 1990s, when it was very common. Today it is most popular in Italy, where it is a top-30 name, and it is also used in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Quebec. It is declining in about half the regions where it is tracked, so it is a well-known classic now used more quietly.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- reh-BEK-uh, 3 syllables
- Meaning
enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare
- Origin
- Hebrew
- Other spellings
- Rivka
- Rebeka
- Rebeccah
- Rebekah
- Rebekka
- Becky
- Becca
- Reba
- Bex
- Bec
- Rebeca
- Rifka
- Rebecka
- Rywka
Etymology
The Vulgate (Latin) form of biblical Rebekah, from Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivka, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: falling in 9 of 18 regions, rising in none.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 156 | 173 | 186 | 174 | 236 | 233 | 287 | 347 | 315 | 413 |
| Scotland | 50 | 63 | 86 | 123 | 100 | 104 | 139 | 210 | 431 | 272 |
| Northern Ireland | 61 | 77 | 86 | 127 | 192 | 116 | 162 | 91 | 337 | 231 |
| Ireland | 75 | 65 | 81 | 84 | 92 | 123 | 174 | 183 | 156 | 141 |
| Ontario | 121 | 146 | 177 | 230 | 198 | 268 | 222 | 254 | 257 | |
| British Columbia | 187 | 151 | 193 | 270 | 154 | 326 | 213 | 457 | ||
| South Australia | 202 | 320 | ||||||||
| Quebec | 147 | 133 | 130 | 217 | 170 | 191 | 212 | 268 | 259 | 250 |
| France | 447 | 483 | 466 | 441 | 470 | 552 | 459 | 474 | 543 | 529 |
| The Netherlands | 427 | 487 | 562 | 563 | 775 | 562 | 537 | 714 | 767 | |
| Austria | 163 | 140 | 162 | 149 | 148 | 146 | 164 | 164 | 169 | 187 |
| Switzerland | 294 | 260 | 275 | 297 | 286 | 350 | 339 | 372 | 461 | 293 |
| Berlin | 238 | 173 | 287 | 298 | 222 | 437 | 301 | 528 | ||
| Munich | 90 | 130 | 159 | 172 | 170 | 201 | ||||
| Cologne | 276 | 288 | 439 | 154 | 216 | 435 | 420 | 419 | ||
| Bonn | 220 | 365 | 226 | 90 | 357 | 419 | 181 | 115 | 382 | |
| Leipzig | 375 | 149 | 148 | 186 | 191 | 262 | 186 | 215 | ||
| Rostock | 134 | 199 | 187 | |||||||
| Norway | 274 | 297 | 242 | 182 | 435 | 284 | 436 | 400 | 454 | |
| Sweden | 226 | 239 | 288 | 336 | 337 | 486 | 835 | 468 | 408 | 436 |
| Catalonia | 626 | 615 | 485 | |||||||
| Italy | 28 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 28 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 413 | 98 | 38.7 |
| 2024 | 315 | 137 | 53.1 |
| 2023 | 347 | 124 | 48.3 |
| 2022 | 287 | 159 | 60.3 |
| 2021 | 233 | 216 | 78.8 |
| 2020 | 236 | 198 | 73.8 |
| 2019 | 174 | 291 | 103.9 |
| 2018 | 186 | 282 | 97.8 |
| 2017 | 173 | 316 | 105.7 |
| 2016 | 156 | 356 | 115.9 |
| 2015 | 140 | 398 | 129.2 |
| 2014 | 135 | 407 | 132.7 |
| 2013 | 114 | 478 | 155.0 |
| 2012 | 108 | 526 | 163.3 |
| 2011 | 88 | 693 | 215.7 |
| 2010 | 82 | 725 | 225.8 |
| 2009 | 77 | 810 | 258.5 |
| 2008 | 66 | 996 | 315.4 |
| 2007 | 47 | 1,237 | 404.1 |
| 2006 | 36 | 1,575 | 526.3 |
| 2005 | 33 | 1,748 | 606.4 |
| 2004 | 26 | 1,934 | 676.6 |
| 2003 | 25 | 2,120 | 760.8 |
| 2002 | 18 | 2,529 | 945.9 |
| 2001 | 16 | 2,950 | 1,100.8 |
| 2000 | 12 | 3,826 | 1,400.6 |
| 1999 | 9 | 4,624 | 1,641.5 |
| 1998 | 9 | 4,767 | 1,648.5 |
| 1997 | 9 | 5,514 | 1,880.7 |
| 1996 | 8 | 5,828 | 1,968.9 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Rebecca in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1988. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 1991, at 1,344.7 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Rebecca per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 1991 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Rebecca
1 in 1,921 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Rebecca.
1 in 880 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Rebecca. Same first letter as Rebecca.
1 in 2,982 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Rebecca.
1 in 2,641 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Rebecca.
1 in 240 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Rebecca.
1 in 271 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Rebecca.
1 in 898 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Rebecca.
1 in 640 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Rebecca.
1 in 4,225 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Rebecca.
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Rebecca.
Middle names for Rebecca
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Rebecca Charlotte
3-2 beats · initials RC
Changes the beat after Rebecca: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Rebecca Sophie
3-2 beats · initials RS
Changes the beat after Rebecca: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Rebecca Grace
3-1 beats · initials RG
Changes the beat after Rebecca: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Rebecca Olivia
3-4 beats · initials RO · Rebecca slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Rebecca: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables. Rebecca slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 102 in Ireland
Rebecca Mia
3-2 beats · initials RM
Changes the beat after Rebecca: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 173 in Northern Ireland
Rebecca Nora
3-2 beats · initials RN
Changes the beat after Rebecca: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Rebecca Ruby
3-2 beats · initials RR
Changes the beat after Rebecca: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Rebecca Rose
3-1 beats · initials RR
Changes the beat after Rebecca: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
Same style as Rebecca
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 782 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Rebecca across countries and decades.
1 in 1,921 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Rebecca across countries and decades.
1 in 640 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Rebecca across countries and decades.
1 in 660 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Rebecca across countries and decades.
1 in 405 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Rebecca across countries and decades.
1 in 2,347 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Rebecca across countries and decades.
1 in 3,578 in Scotland
94% alike: moves with Rebecca across countries and decades.
1 in 271 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Rebecca across countries and decades.
Famous people named Rebecca
Rebecca Romijn, Rebecca Ferguson, Rebecca Hall, Rebecca West, Rebecca Black, Rebecca De Mornay, Rebecca Walker and Rebecca Mader.
Show all 8Show less
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American actress and model (born 1972)
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Swedish actress (born 1983)
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English actress and filmmaker (born 1982)
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British writer, journalist, literary critic, and feminist (1892-1983)
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American singer (born 1997)
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American actress born 1959
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American writer born 1969
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English actress born 1977
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Rebecca
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Rebecca?
Her best rank is No. 28 in Italy in 2024, about 1 in 146 girls. She is in the published lists of 19 of our 40 regions.
What does Rebecca mean?
Wiktionary glosses Rebecca as "enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare".
How do you pronounce Rebecca?
reh-BEK-uh, with 3 syllables.
Is Rebecca getting more popular?
Over five years: falling in 9 of 18 regions, rising in none.
Which sister names go with Rebecca?
The deck's top five sisters for Rebecca: Joanna, Rachel, Samantha, Lisa and Leah. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.