Rebecca
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- re-BEK-a
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #396 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #349 for girls
Rebecca is a girls' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “to tie, bind”. In 2025 it ranked 396th for girls in the UK (118 babies) and 349th for girls in the US (872 babies).
What does Rebecca mean?
Hebrew: from Rivqah
“to tie, bind”
In Genesis Rebecca is the wife of Isaac and the mother of the twins Esau and Jacob.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Rebecca a girl's or a boy's name?
Rebecca is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 118 girls in the UK and 872 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Rebecca in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 396th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 118 about 1 in 2,400 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 55% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 118 girls in the UK were named Rebecca, making it the 396th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 214th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 6,524 girls.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had the fewest girls named Rebecca since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Rebecca in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2005. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 172 girls in the UK were given Rebecca or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #297, up from #396 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 413th in England and Wales, 272nd in Scotland and 231st in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1964 (#98), 1974 (#16), 1984 (#5), 1994 (#1) and 2004 (#26).
Rebecca in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 118 | #396 |
| 2024 | 148 | #323 |
| 2023 | 166 | #300 |
| 2022 | 202 | #253 |
| 2021 | 279 | #201 |
| 2020 | 249 | #214 |
| 2019 | 347 | #168 |
| 2018 | 361 | #168 |
| 2017 | 417 | #146 |
| 2016 | 490 | #131 |
| 2015 | 528 | #122 |
| 2014 | 567 | #112 |
| 2013 | 655 | #97 |
| 2012 | 730 | #89 |
| 2011 | 945 | #68 |
| 2010 | 953 | #76 |
| 2009 | 1,083 | #66 |
| 2008 | 1,373 | #49 |
| 2007 | 1,642 | #37 |
| 2006 | 2,025 | #29 |
| 2005 | 2,275 | #26 |
| 2004 | 2,429 | #26 |
| 2003 | 2,607 | #22 |
| 2002 | 3,084 | #16 |
| 2001 | 3,587 | #14 |
| 2000 | 4,606 | #11 |
| 1999 | 5,613 | #5 |
| 1998 | 5,652 | #8 |
| 1997 | 6,524 | #5 |
| 1996 | 6,487 | #6 |
How popular is Rebecca in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 349th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 872 about 1 in 1,800 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 29% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 872 girls in the US were named Rebecca, making it the 349th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 248th. Its busiest year was 1981, with 16,737 girls.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Rebecca than any year since 1913.
Half of all the girls named Rebecca in the US since 1880 were born between 1958 and 1989, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 1,359 girls in the US were given Rebecca or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #256, up from #349 for this spelling alone.
Rebecca in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 872 | #349 |
| 2024 | 918 | #340 |
| 2023 | 985 | #315 |
| 2022 | 1,075 | #295 |
| 2021 | 1,051 | #304 |
| 2020 | 1,212 | #248 |
| 2019 | 1,263 | #263 |
| 2018 | 1,459 | #211 |
| 2017 | 1,433 | #214 |
| 2016 | 1,580 | #205 |
| 2015 | 1,728 | #188 |
| 2014 | 1,782 | #181 |
| 2013 | 1,806 | #177 |
| 2012 | 2,019 | #157 |
| 2011 | 2,119 | #148 |
| 2010 | 2,299 | #134 |
| 2009 | 2,473 | #132 |
| 2008 | 2,922 | #118 |
| 2007 | 3,215 | #105 |
| 2006 | 3,573 | #96 |
| 2005 | 4,018 | #81 |
| 2004 | 4,474 | #70 |
| 2003 | 4,873 | #62 |
| 2002 | 5,222 | #54 |
| 2001 | 5,893 | #46 |
| 2000 | 7,078 | #39 |
| 1999 | 7,437 | #38 |
| 1998 | 8,423 | #30 |
| 1997 | 9,634 | #25 |
| 1996 | 10,626 | #24 |
| 1995 | 9,911 | #28 |
| 1994 | 11,284 | #24 |
| 1993 | 12,321 | #22 |
| 1992 | 13,110 | #20 |
| 1991 | 13,298 | #21 |
| 1990 | 13,677 | #21 |
| 1989 | 12,436 | #24 |
| 1988 | 11,877 | #26 |
| 1987 | 11,627 | #25 |
| 1986 | 11,793 | #26 |
| 1985 | 12,705 | #25 |
| 1984 | 13,348 | #23 |
| 1983 | 14,714 | #19 |
| 1982 | 15,730 | #15 |
| 1981 | 16,737 | #12 |
| 1980 | 15,281 | #17 |
| 1979 | 14,548 | #17 |
| 1978 | 13,796 | #17 |
| 1977 | 14,196 | #17 |
| 1976 | 14,491 | #12 |
| 1975 | 13,925 | #11 |
| 1974 | 15,163 | #10 |
| 1973 | 14,868 | #10 |
| 1972 | 13,252 | #14 |
| 1971 | 12,192 | #23 |
| 1970 | 10,854 | #29 |
| 1969 | 10,950 | #28 |
| 1968 | 10,225 | #33 |
| 1967 | 9,823 | #39 |
| 1966 | 9,777 | #40 |
| 1965 | 10,211 | #41 |
| 1964 | 9,474 | #46 |
| 1963 | 9,393 | #44 |
| 1962 | 9,403 | #47 |
| 1961 | 10,236 | #44 |
| 1960 | 9,970 | #38 |
| 1959 | 10,475 | #38 |
| 1958 | 10,416 | #41 |
| 1957 | 11,482 | #34 |
| 1956 | 12,168 | #27 |
| 1955 | 12,398 | #27 |
| 1954 | 13,208 | #26 |
| 1953 | 12,959 | #24 |
| 1952 | 12,227 | #30 |
| 1951 | 10,932 | #32 |
| 1950 | 9,425 | #36 |
| 1949 | 8,778 | #40 |
| 1948 | 6,795 | #50 |
| 1947 | 6,333 | #52 |
| 1946 | 4,840 | #68 |
| 1945 | 3,331 | #85 |
| 1944 | 3,246 | #84 |
| 1943 | 3,270 | #87 |
| 1942 | 3,241 | #85 |
| 1941 | 2,924 | #86 |
| 1940 | 2,555 | #96 |
| 1939 | 1,796 | #134 |
| 1938 | 1,573 | #145 |
| 1937 | 1,210 | #166 |
| 1936 | 1,200 | #164 |
| 1935 | 1,208 | #163 |
| 1934 | 1,161 | #165 |
| 1933 | 1,072 | #169 |
| 1932 | 1,192 | #162 |
| 1931 | 1,089 | #170 |
| 1930 | 1,114 | #176 |
| 1929 | 1,084 | #181 |
| 1928 | 1,121 | #183 |
| 1927 | 1,260 | #170 |
| 1926 | 1,144 | #185 |
| 1925 | 1,203 | #182 |
| 1924 | 1,358 | #171 |
| 1923 | 1,274 | #174 |
| 1922 | 1,296 | #173 |
| 1921 | 1,272 | #175 |
| 1920 | 1,269 | #175 |
| 1919 | 1,267 | #170 |
| 1918 | 1,243 | #172 |
| 1917 | 1,215 | #165 |
| 1916 | 1,132 | #169 |
| 1915 | 1,169 | #159 |
| 1914 | 890 | #162 |
| 1913 | 739 | #158 |
| 1912 | 754 | #144 |
| 1911 | 546 | #148 |
| 1910 | 519 | #154 |
| 1909 | 470 | #151 |
| 1908 | 451 | #148 |
| 1907 | 400 | #159 |
| 1906 | 397 | #150 |
| 1905 | 402 | #148 |
| 1904 | 371 | #146 |
| 1903 | 334 | #154 |
| 1902 | 382 | #144 |
| 1901 | 342 | #144 |
| 1900 | 503 | #125 |
| 1899 | 347 | #135 |
| 1898 | 376 | #136 |
| 1897 | 376 | #129 |
| 1896 | 371 | #128 |
| 1895 | 386 | #122 |
| 1894 | 399 | #118 |
| 1893 | 358 | #120 |
| 1892 | 353 | #124 |
| 1891 | 320 | #123 |
| 1890 | 374 | #107 |
| 1889 | 337 | #114 |
| 1888 | 337 | #111 |
| 1887 | 275 | #110 |
| 1886 | 355 | #95 |
| 1885 | 302 | #99 |
| 1884 | 278 | #102 |
| 1883 | 244 | #103 |
| 1882 | 259 | #99 |
| 1881 | 226 | #96 |
| 1880 | 236 | #92 |
Nicknames for Rebecca
Names like Rebecca
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Jessica, Anna, Melissa, Rachel, Joanna, Sarah, Francesca, Sara, Georgina, Laura, Molly, Elizabeth
Other spellings of Rebecca
Names related to Rebecca
More Hebrew names
Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Rebecca: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/rebecca, updated 20 October 2026.