| Rebekah | |
|---|---|
The Biblical Rebecca and Eliezer in a painting by Bartolomé Esteban Perez Murillo. |
|
| Pronunciation | English: /rɨˈbɛkə/ rə-bek-ə |
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/Name | Hebrew |
| Meaning | To Tie, To Bind, Captivating Strong Combatant Hearty |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | Becky, Becca, Becks |
| Related names | Becca, Becky, Reba |
Rebecca (Hebrew: רִבְקָה or Rivkah) is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. Its most likely meaning is "captivating". It may be Aramaic in origin, although this is contested. W.F. Albright held that it meant "soil", or "earth", and was the name of an earth-goddess.[1]
In the United Kingdom, it made its way into the top 100 female names during the 1960s, the top 20 during the 1970s, and the top 10 during the 1980s, finally peaking as the most popular female name in 1995. However, it slid out of the top 10 in 2000 and by 2009 had fallen to 77th.[2]
Rebekah was the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau in the Old Testament. It may also be spelled Rebeccah, Rebekah or Rebekkah.
Rebekah has been a popular name in English-speaking countries. It has consistently ranked among the top 100 most popular names for girls in the United States (though it dropped down to 105th place for baby girls born there in 2007), in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, and Australia.[3]