Rebecca
Girl name · #349 in 2025 · Distinctive
How old is the name Rebecca? In official American birth records, Rebecca has been tracked continuously since 1880, giving it 145 years of documented American history.
Rebecca ranks #349 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 872 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #188, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 2,064 girls born in 2025 was named Rebecca.
Babies named Rebecca per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 145-year story
Rebecca first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 236 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1981, when 16,737 girls were named Rebecca — good for #12 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Rebecca against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Rebecca in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Rebecca is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "distinctive". That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Rebecca is most common
Geography matters for names, and Rebecca is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Rebecca is most common in PA (1.3 per 1,000), CT (1 per 1,000), UT (1 per 1,000), NJ (0.9 per 1,000), WI (0.9 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.7 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Rebecca is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Rebecca
Rebecca carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.
Counted as one name, the Rebecca family went to about 943 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #325, versus #349 for Rebecca alone.
Names like Rebecca
Statistically, parents drawn to Rebecca tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Veronica, Melissa, Monica, Andrea, and Alicia.
VeronicaMelissaMonicaAndreaAliciaVanessaJoannaJessica
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Rebecca | 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 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Rebecca?
In official American birth records, the name Rebecca first appeared in 1880 (over 145 years ago), when 236 newborn girls received the name. It has over a century of continuous American history.
Is Rebecca a popular girl name?
Rebecca ranked #349 among girls in 2025 with 872 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #188.
When was the name Rebecca most popular?
Rebecca peaked in 1981, when 16,737 American girls received the name (ranked #12 that year). Since 1981 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Rebecca?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 2,064 newborn American girls was named Rebecca. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "distinctive".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.