Rebecca
See also Rébecca
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
The Vulgate (Latin) form of biblical Rebekah; Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivka, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”).
The spelling Rebecca originates from the Latin Vulgate, which from the 4th century A.D. 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.
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɛkə
Proper noun
Rebecca
- A female given name, in regular use since the Reformation.
- 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.
- 1809 Charles and Mary Lamb, Poetry for Children: Choosing a Name:
Related terms
Translations
female given name
Danish
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Alternative forms
Proper noun
Rebecca f
- Rebekah (Biblical character).
- A female given name, cognate to English Rebecca.
German
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Proper noun
Rebecca f
- Rebekah (Biblical character).
- A female given name of biblical origin.