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Rebecca (given name)

{{Short description|Female given name}}

{{Redirect|Bekah|the South Korean singer|After School (group)}}

{{for|a list of people with this name|List of people named Rebecca}}

{{redirect|Rivka|people with this name|List of people named Rivka}}

{{Infobox Given Name Revised

| name = Rebecca

| image=Bartolomé Esteban Perez Murillo 022.jpg

| caption=The Biblical Rebecca and Eliezer in a painting by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

| pronunciation= {{IPAc-en|r|ə|ˈ|b|ɛ|k|ə}} {{respell|rə|BEK|ə}}

| gender = Female

| meaning ="Moderator", To Tie, Noose, To Bind, Captivating, Strong Combatant, Hearty

| region =

| nickname =

{{Plainlist|

  • Becks
  • Becca
  • Becky
  • Bec
  • Beck
  • Bex
  • Becs
  • Reba
  • Riva
  • Rebby
  • Reb
  • Rebs
  • Becka
  • Bekah

}}

| origin = Hebrew

| related names = Becca, Becky, Reba, Rifka

| footnotes =

}}

Rebecca or Rebekah (Hebrew: רִבְקָה Rīvqa) 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".{{citation |title=Meaning and etymology of the name Rebekah (Rebecca) |author=Arie Uittenbogaard |publisher=Abarim Publications |date=2011}} W. F. Albright held that it meant "soil, earth".{{cite journal |jstor=3260210 |title=The Name Rebecca |first=W. F. |last=Albright |date=14 December 2017 |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=39 |issue=3–4|pages=165–166 |doi=10.2307/3260210}}

Spelling

The Latin Vulgate uses the spelling Rebecca exclusively{{cite web |url=http://www.latinvulgate.com/verse.aspx?t=0&b=1&c=49 |title=Latin Vulgate Bible with Douay-Rheims and King James Version Side-by-Side+Complete Sayings of Jesus Christ |publisher=Latinvulgate.com |access-date=14 December 2017}} and it is followed by (ex. gr.) Wycliffe and the Bishops' Bible. In the Authorized Version of the 1600s, the spelling Rebekah is used in the Old Testament (Genesis) and the Latin "Rebecca" (representing Greek Bible Ῥεβέκκα) was retained in the New Testament (see Romans 9:10). So the earlier western spelling is "Rebecca", but both spellings (Rebecca and Rebekah) are used in the influential King James Version. Both are current in the English-speaking world now.

Popularity

In the United Kingdom, a revival of Biblical names led to this name being ranked among the top 100 female names during the 1960s, the top 20 during the 1970s, and the top 10 during the 1980s; in 1994 it was the most popular female name. A decline in popularity followed; it slid out of the top 10 in 2000 and by 2009 had fallen to 77th. In 2013, it was ranked 120th.

In the United States, the name was used beginning with the colonization of the Puritans in New England in the 17th century. The name Rebecca goes up and down in the popularity rankings, but has consistently ranked in the top 200 most popular names for girls since at least 1880 (the first year for which the Social Security Administration has documented baby name popularity). In the year 2011, the Social Security Administration ranked Rebecca at 148th in popularity. In 2013, it was ranked 178th.{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthename.com/name/rebecca|title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Rebecca|first=Mike|last=Campbell|website=Behind the Name|access-date=14 December 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi|title=Popular Baby Names|last=OACT|website=Ssa.gov|access-date=14 December 2017|archive-date=2 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202070118/https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi|url-status=dead}}

The name is also popular in other countries. In 2009, Rebeca was the 27th most popular name for baby girls in Romania.{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthename.com/top/lists/romania/2009|title=Popular Names in Romania 2009|first=Mike|last=Campbell|website=Behind the Name|access-date=14 December 2017}}

Mononymous persons

Below are notable persons known only by the given name Rebecca.

Variations

References

{{Reflist}}

Category:English feminine given names

Category:English given names

Category:Feminine given names

Category:Hebrew feminine given names

Category:Jewish feminine given names

Category:Jewish given names