Rebecca

See also: Rébecca

English

Alternative forms

• Rebekah, Rebekka

Etymology

The Vulgate (Latin) form of biblical Rebekah, from Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivka, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈbɛkə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛkə

Proper noun

Rebecca (plural Rebeccas)

1. A female given name originating from the Bible [in turn from Hebrew], in regular use since the Reformation.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 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 (The Rosy Crucifixion), Grove Press, published 1965, →ISBN, 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, 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.

Derived terms

• Becky, Becca, Reba, Bex, Bec (pet forms)
• Rebecca purple

Translations

female given name

• Albanian: Rebéka f, Revéka f
• Arabic: رِفْقَة (rifqa)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 麗貝卡／丽贝卡 (Lìbèikǎ)

• Danish: Rebecca
• Finnish: Rebekka (fi)
• French: Rebecca (fr)
• German: Rebekka (de)
• Greek: Ρεβέκκα (el) (Revékka), Ρεμπέκα (Rempéka) (transliteration from English)

  Ancient Greek: Ῥεβέκκα (Rhebékka)

• Greenlandic: Lippikka
• Hawaiian: Lepeka
• Hebrew: רִבְקָה (he) f (Rivka)
• Hungarian: Rebeka (hu)
• Italian: Rebecca (it)
• Japanese: レベッカ (Rebekka)
• Maori: Rīpeka
• Marathi: रेबेका f (rebekā)
• Norwegian: Rebekka (no)
• Persian: ربه‌کا (rebe-kâ)
• Polish: Rebeka (pl) f
• Portuguese: Rebeca (pt) f
• Russian: Реве́кка (ru) f (Revékka), Ребе́кка (ru) f (Rebɛ́kka)
• Spanish: Rebeca (es)
• Swedish: Rebecka (sv)
• Yiddish: רבֿקה f (Rivke)

Noun

Rebecca (plural Rebeccas)

1. (historical) One who protested in the Rebecca Riots; a Rebeccaite.
   • 2019, Marsha R. Robinson, Disobedient Histories in Ancient and Modern Times, page 82:

     Colonel George Rice Trevor testified that the Rebeccas attacked poor-houses as well as tollgates.

Danish

Proper noun

Rebecca

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

Dutch

Alternative forms

• Rebekka

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Rebecca, from Hebrew רִבְקָה (rivká).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Rebecca f

1. a female given name from Hebrew

Related terms

• Rivka

French

Alternative forms

• Rébecca

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁe.be.ka/

Proper noun

Rebecca f

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

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Rebecca

1. a female given name from English [in turn from Biblical Hebrew], variant of Rebekka

Italian

Etymology

From Hebrew רִבְקָה (Riḇqāh, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /reˈbek.ka/
• Rhymes: -ekka
• Hyphenation: Re‧béc‧ca

Proper noun

Rebecca f

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

Anagrams

• beccare, erbacce

Latin

Etymology

From Biblical Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivka)

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /reˈbek.ka/, [rɛˈbɛkːä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /reˈbek.ka/, [reˈbɛkːä]

Proper noun

Rebecca f sg (genitive Rebeccae); first declension

1. a female given name from Hebrew

Declension

First-declension noun, singular only.

Case	Singular
Nominative	Rebecca
Genitive	Rebeccae
Dative	Rebeccae
Accusative	Rebeccam
Ablative	Rebeccā
Vocative	Rebecca

Norwegian

Proper noun

Rebecca

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

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -²ɛka

Proper noun

Rebecca c (genitive Rebeccas)

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