Rebecca

femaleBiblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhebekka

Traditionally associated with concepts of 'joining', 'tying', or a 'team/yoke' — a binding or connecting sense, from a Semitic root about fastening things together.

Origin: Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhebekka

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1955 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #1 in New South Wales, Australia in 1983. See regions.

Rebecca: Recorded since 1955, it reached #1 in 1976, and it stood at #141 in 2025.

7registrars recorded it
272times a registrar ranked it
71years from first to last
#1highest recorded position
46groupings it qualifies for
47names it appears alongside

What stands out in Rebecca's record

Ranked inside the top 10 by 5 registrars, and #1 in 1 of them. Names by top-10 reach
Held a top-100 place for 55 years running. Names by top-100 run
England and Wales registered 5,828 births with the name in 1996, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count
Held at least one birth in every 2,000 for 41 years. Names by sustained share

rə-BEK-ə/rəˈbɛkə/

Compare Rebecca Run Name Checker on Rebecca

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhebekka
Meaning: Traditionally associated with concepts of 'joining', 'tying', or a 'team/yoke' — a binding or connecting sense, from a Semitic root about fastening things together.
Pronunciation: rə-BEK-ə
Syllables: 3
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: female
Language family: Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhebekka

Popularity

Region

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#8
1997	#9
1998	#9
1999	#9
2000	#12
2001	#16
2002	#18
2003	#25
2004	#26
2005	#33
2006	#36
2007	#47
2008	#66
2009	#77
2010	#82
2011	#88
2012	#108
2013	#114
2014	#135
2015	#140
2016	#156
2017	#173
2018	#186
2019	#174
2020	#236
2021	#233
2022	#287
2023	#347
2024	#315
2025	#413

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Norway in 62 of the 71 years from 1955 to 2025.

In 2025: #141 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #413 among girls in England and Wales, #485 among girls in Norway.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 1955–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1955
First recorded at #440 among girls in Norway in 1955 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #413 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls

Rebecca appears in 6 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Norway · Girls, which has ranked it in 62 years beginning in 1955, and has registered 2,468 births with the name.

Rebecca across 6 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Rebecca's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Norway · Girls	#440 (1955)	#55 (1996)	#485 (2025)	62 of 71	2,468 (1955–2025)	132 (1996)
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#215 (1964)	#7 (1995)	#141 (2025)	62 of 62	11,293 (1964–2025)	525 (1997)
New Zealand · Girls	#100 (1966)	#2 (1977)	#85 (2011)	46 of 46	11,608 (1966–2011)	513 (1978)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#92 (1966)	#1 (1976)	#94 (2008)	43 of 43	23,211 (1966–2008)	1,068 (1981)
England and Wales · Girls	#8 (1996)	#8 (1996)	#413 (2025)	30 of 30	45,862 (1996–2025)	5,828 (1996)
Northern Ireland · Girls	#3 (1997)	#2 (1999)	#337 (2024)	28 of 28	2,788 (1997–2024)	297 (1997)

Rebecca by decade in Norway · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Rebecca in Norway · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1950s	9	2 of 10	5
1960s	33	5 of 10	7
1970s	122	10 of 10	12
1980s	420	10 of 10	42
1990sbusiest	1,067	10 of 10	107
2000s	544	10 of 10	54
2010s	239	10 of 10	24
2020s	34	5 of 10	7

Across Norway · Girls, the 1990s were its busiest decade, averaging 107 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 2000 and 2001, when recorded births fell by 28, from 95 to 67.

See the names Norwayhas recorded the most births with →

Rebecca appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 7 registrars between 1955 and 2025, ranked in 65 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #1, first reached in 1976.

It held a top-100 place in 56 years, 55 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 5,828 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

5 registrars ranked it inside their own top 10. It reached #1 in 1 registrar's list.

Its record falls into 3 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 4 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1964, and 69 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Rebecca was ranked #1 in New South Wales, Australia · Girls in 1976. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Reanne · #351, 18y
Rebeca · #281, 30y
Rebecka · #222, 30y
Rebeka · #358, 29y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 7 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Emily · #1, 62y
Grace · #1, 69y
Jason · #1, 62y
Jessica · #1, 61y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Emilie · #1, 49y
Matthew · #1, 69y
Michelle · #1, 74y
Oliver · #1, 63y

Comparisons involving Rebecca

Existing comparison pages where Rebecca and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Rebecca in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Rebecca vs Lauren
In 1996 they stood at #8 and #5 in England and Wales · Girls, 3 places apart; by 2025 they were #413 and #1166.
Rebecca · Lauren · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Rebecca vs Megan
In 1996 they stood at #8 and #10 in England and Wales · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2025 they were #413 and #816.
Rebecca · Megan · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Charlotte vs Rebecca
In 1996 they stood at #7 and #8 in England and Wales · Girls, 1 places apart; by 2025 they were #25 and #413.
Charlotte · Rebecca · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking

Closest long-running positions

Names that stayed close to Rebecca within one registrar's list over many years. A gap measured inside that list, never across registrars.

Rebecca vs Amy
Across 37 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Rebecca and Amy averaged 12.5 places apart, ending at #85 and #71.
Rebecca · Amy · 37 shared years, 1975–2011 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2011 New Zealand ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Rebecca and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Rebecca vs Chloe
In 1998, Chloe moved ahead of Rebecca in Republic of Ireland · Girls — #7 and #9 the year before became #9 and #1.
Rebecca · Chloe · 48 shared years, 1974–2025 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1998 Republic of Ireland ranking
Rebecca vs Jessica
In 1984, Jessica moved ahead of Rebecca in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #1 and #3 the year before became #3 and #1.
Rebecca · Jessica · 33 shared years, 1976–2008 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1984 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Rebecca vs Kylie
In 1976, Rebecca moved ahead of Kylie in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #5 and #3 the year before became #1 and #5.
Rebecca · Kylie · 24 shared years, 1966–1989 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1976 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Pairs involving Rebecca measured in New South Wales, Australia's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Rebecca at its highest position.

Rebecca vs Melanie
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Rebecca #1 in 1976, Melanie #14 in 1977.
Rebecca · Melanie · 28 shared years, 1970–1997 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1977 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Rebecca vs Melissa
In 1976, Rebecca moved ahead of Melissa in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #5 and #4 the year before became #1 and #3.
Rebecca · Melissa · 35 shared years, 1966–2000 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1976 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Rebecca vs Michelle
In 1976, Rebecca moved ahead of Michelle in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #5 and #1 the year before became #1 and #2.
Rebecca · Michelle · 35 shared years, 1966–2000 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1976 New South Wales, Australia ranking

New South Wales, Australia overview→

Rebecca and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Rebecca without appearing here.

Rebecca moved ahead of

Roisin
In 2017 they stood at #65 and #37 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2018 that had become #81 and #474.
Kate
In 1979 they stood at #328 and #257 in Norway · Girls; by 1980 that had become #195 and #370.
Janet
In 1975 they stood at #411 and #293 in Norway · Girls; by 1976 that had become #235 and #402.
Tonje
In 2020 they stood at #458 and #433 in Norway · Girls; by 2021 that had become #295 and #455.

Moved ahead of Rebecca

Silje
In 2021 they stood at #295 and #299 in Norway · Girls; by 2022 that had become #457 and #201.
Natalie
In 2019 they stood at #188 and #192 in Norway · Girls; by 2020 that had become #458 and #240.
Ciara
In 2023 they stood at #91 and #237 in Northern Ireland · Girls; by 2024 that had become #337 and #127.
Ellen
In 2023 they stood at #91 and #135 in Northern Ireland · Girls; by 2024 that had become #337 and #150.

Moved the opposite way to Rebecca

Barbara
Between 1955 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Rebecca went from #440 to #235 while Barbara went from #194 to #543.
Trine
Between 1955 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Rebecca went from #440 to #235 while Trine went from #97 to #569.
Geraldine
Between 1964 and 2021 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Rebecca went from #215 to #123 while Geraldine went from #9 to #883.
Grethe
Between 1955 and 2012 in Norway · Girls, Rebecca went from #440 to #231 while Grethe went from #28 to #576.

Moved the same way as Rebecca

Abigail
Between 1996 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Rebecca went from #8 to #413 and Abigail from #21 to #171.
Aimee Compare
Between 1996 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Rebecca went from #8 to #413 and Aimee from #70 to #1809.
Aisling
Between 1996 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Rebecca went from #8 to #413 and Aisling from #440 to #1892.
Alex
Between 1996 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Rebecca went from #8 to #413 and Alex from #161 to #2605.

Meaning & Origin

Traditionally associated with concepts of 'joining', 'tying', or a 'team/yoke' — a binding or connecting sense, from a Semitic root about fastening things together.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name, Online Etymology Dictionary.Confidence: high.

Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhebekka

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Rebecca is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Rebecca, between 1955 and 2025, in 65 of those 71 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Norway	1955–2025	62	#55 in 1996
Republic of Ireland	1964–2025	62	#7 in 1995
New South Wales, Australia	1966–2008	43	#1 in 1976
New Zealand	1966–2011	46	#2 in 1977
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#8 in 1996
Northern Ireland	1997–2024	28	#2 in 1999
Scotland	2024	1	#431 in 2024

Its high point came 48 years earlier in New South Wales, Australia (1976) than in Scotland (2024).

No registrar recorded it for 4 years after 1956; it appears again in 1961.

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

rə-BEK-ə/rəˈbɛkə/

Syllables: 3
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Rebecca Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Rebecca in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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Rebecca

Rebecca at a glance

What stands out in Rebecca's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Rebecca across 6 official records

Rebecca by decade in Norway · Girls

Rebecca appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Rebecca

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Rebecca

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Rebecca and the names beside it

Rebecca moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Rebecca

Moved the opposite way to Rebecca

Moved the same way as Rebecca

Meaning & Origin

Where Rebecca is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Rebecca Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Rebecca at a glance

What stands out in Rebecca's record

Rebecca across 6 official records

Rebecca by decade in Norway · Girls

Rebecca appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Rebecca

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Rebecca

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Rebecca and the names beside it

Rebecca moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Rebecca

Moved the opposite way to Rebecca

Moved the same way as Rebecca