Rebeckah
A feminine variant of Rebecca, meaning "to bind" or "to tie" in Hebrew.
Name Census estimates that about 617 living Americans carry the first name Rebeckah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rebeckah today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rebeckah births was 1996 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rebeckah. 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.
People living today
617
~ 1 in 555,518 Americans
Peak year
1996
26 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2015 SSA rank
#18,539
Tracked since 1956
Popularity
Rebeckah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rebeckah from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 193 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rebeckah 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 Rebeckah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rebeckahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rebeckah
The name Rebeckah is a variant spelling of the biblical name Rebecca, which has its origins in the Hebrew language. The name Rebecca can be traced back to the Old Testament of the Bible, where it is the name of the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "ribhqah," which means "to tie firmly" or "to bind."
In the Book of Genesis, Rebecca is described as a beautiful and virtuous woman who played a pivotal role in the biblical narrative. She is celebrated for her wisdom and her ability to discern God's will. The name Rebecca has been popular among Jewish and Christian communities for centuries due to its biblical significance.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Rebecca can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts dating back to the 3rd century BCE. The name is also mentioned in various other ancient texts, including the Talmud and the writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Rebecca or Rebeckah. One of the most famous is Rebecca Nurse, an American woman who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 and was ultimately hanged for her alleged crimes. Another notable Rebecca is Rebecca Gratz, an American Jewish philanthropist and educator who lived from 1781 to 1869 and was known for her work in promoting education and social welfare.
In literature, one of the most famous literary characters named Rebecca is Rebecca of York, the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe," published in 1819. Rebecca is depicted as a beautiful and intelligent Jewish woman who faces persecution during the time of the Crusades.
Other notable individuals with the name Rebecca include Rebecca West, an English author, journalist, and literary critic who lived from 1892 to 1983; Rebecca Lobo, an American basketball player and Olympic gold medalist; and Rebecca Minkoff, an American fashion designer and entrepreneur.
While the name Rebeckah is a less common spelling variant, it carries the same rich historical and cultural significance as the more traditional spelling of Rebecca. The name has endured through the centuries and continues to be popular among those who appreciate its biblical roots and timeless appeal.
People
Rebeckah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rebeckah 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
Rebeckah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rebeckah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 617 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rebeckah 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 555,518 US residents.
Is Rebeckah a common name?
We classify Rebeckah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 652 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rebeckah most popular?
The single biggest year for Rebeckah was 1996, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rebeckah is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rebeckah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rebeckah 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.
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.