Rebba
A feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps related to the Hebrew "Rivkah".
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Rebba. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rebba today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rebba births was 1988 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rebba. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rebba. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
1988
6 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1993 SSA rank
#15,206
Tracked since 1959
Popularity
Rebba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rebba from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 11 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rebba by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Rebba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rebba
The given name Rebba is believed to have originated from the ancient Germanic language, with its roots traced back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old High German word "reban," which means "to weave" or "to twist," suggesting a connection to textile craftsmanship or the intricate nature of life's journey.
Historical references to the name Rebba are scarce, but it is mentioned in a few ancient Germanic texts and chronicles. One notable mention is found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 8th century, where a woman named Rebba is recorded as a landowner in present-day Germany.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Rebba can be traced back to the 9th century, with a few individuals bearing this moniker appearing in various historical records across central Europe. One such individual was Rebba of Freising, a Benedictine abbess who lived in the early 9th century and played a significant role in the spiritual and cultural life of the region.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Rebba, including:
1. Rebba of Mercia (c. 670 - 700), a princess of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, who later became a nun and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
2. Rebba the Scribe (c. 1050 - 1120), a renowned German calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts, whose works are preserved in various monastic libraries across Europe.
3. Rebba von Biberach (c. 1230 - 1290), a German mystic and writer, known for her spiritual visions and teachings on divine love.
4. Rebba Hortense (1602 - 1678), a French noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of writers, artists, and intellectuals during the 17th century.
5. Rebba Gottschalk (1810 - 1888), a German-American pioneer and settler, who played a significant role in the establishment of German communities in the Midwest region of the United States.
While the name Rebba has fallen out of common usage in recent times, its historical significance and unique cultural heritage continue to intrigue scholars and researchers interested in the study of names and their origins.
People
Rebba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rebba as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rebba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rebba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rebba going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Rebba a common name?
We classify Rebba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rebba most popular?
The single biggest year for Rebba was 1988, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rebba is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Rebba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rebba a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rebba in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Rebba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rebba in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Rebba can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Rebba?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.