English

Alternative forms

• Rebekah
• Rebekka

Proper noun

Rebecca ‎(plural Rebeccas)

1. A female given name, in regular use since the Reformation.
   • 1611, Bible (KJV), Romans 9:10-12::

     And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

   • 1809 Charles and Mary Lamb, Poetry for Children: Choosing a Name:

     They would say, if 'twas Rebecca,

     That she is a little Quaker.

   • 1949 Henry Miller, Sexus, Grove Press 1965, ISBN 0802151809, page 312:

     "What's her name?" I asked. "Rebecca. Rebecca Valentine." The name Rebecca excited me. I had always wanted to meet a woman called Rebecca - and not Becky. ( Rebecca, Ruth, Roxane, Rosalind, Frederika, Ursula, Sheila, Norma, Guinevere, Leonora, Sabina, Malvina, Solange, Deirdre. What wonderful names women had! Like flowers, stars, constellations...)

   • 1997 Robert T. Tauber, Self-fulfilling Prophecy, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0275955028, page 61:

     Our daughter's name, Rebecca, summons up similar visions. Although our family is not Jewish, both names (David and Rebecca) have a Hebrew ancestry which, in the eyes of many beholders ( i.e. teachers ) invokes a vision of a family that values education.

Usage notes

The spelling Rebecca originates from the Latin Vulgate, which from the 4th century onward was the Bible that was used for centuries in Western Christianity. When the King James Version appeared in 1611, the spelling Rebekah was used in the Old Testament, but the spelling Rebecca was retained in the New Testament.

Related terms

• pet forms: Becky, Becca, Reba

Translations

Danish

Proper noun

Rebecca

1. A female given name, an English style spelling of the Danish Rebekka.

French

Alternative forms

• Rébecca

Proper noun

Rebecca f

1. (biblical) Rebekah (Biblical character)
2. A female given name, cognate to English Rebecca.

German

Proper noun

Rebecca

1. A female given name, an English style spelling of Rebekka.

Italian

Proper noun

Rebecca f

1. Rebekah (Biblical character).
2. A female given name of biblical origin.

Anagrams

• beccare
• erbacce

Norwegian

Proper noun

Rebecca

1. A female given name, an English style spelling of Rebekka.

Swedish

Proper noun

Rebecca

1. A female given name, an English style spelling of Rebecka.