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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources
☙

Rebecca f. Hebrew רִבְקָה 'connection', from Proto-Semitic *r-b-q 'to join, couple, tie'.

The name of a Biblical matriarch. Wycliffite Bible (1395): Rebecca.

The name came into use in England in the scond half of the 16th C, and was never common elsewhere.

England
Dutch
● 1571 Rebecca AuFr s'Broeders; 1576 Rebecca ibid. Crucen; 1582 Rebecca ibid. Francken; 1593 Rebecca ibid. Clouens; 1594 Rebecca ibid. Gast; 1595 Rebecca ibid. Fusijn; 1596 Rebecca ibid. Duijman; 1597 Rebecca ibid. Eechout
Early Modern English
● 1571/2 Rebecca RegBisham p. 3; 1572 Rebecca SaxhamSf p. 56; 1575 Rebecka StAnthonlin p. 24; 1576 Rebecka ibid. p. 25; 1578 Rebecka ibid. p. 27; 1580 Rebecca HAmar-vol9 p. 15, Rebecka CAmar-vol1 p. 3; 1585 Rebecca bruton-vol1 p. 46; 1590 Rebecca DEmar-vol2 p. 20; 1592 Rebecca HAmar-vol9 p. 15; 1593 Rebecca DEmar-vol2 p. 26; 1594 Rebecca ibid. p. 29
Walloon
● 1582 Rebecca RWC p. 4; 1582/3 Rebecca ibid. p. 5; 1583 Rebecca ibid. p. 6, Rebeccq ibid. p. 7
France
Middle French
● 1567 Rebeca RegPCC-1 p. 289; 1568 Rebeca ibid. p. 363
Cite as: S.L. Uckelman. "Rebecca". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2018, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2018/1/name/Rebecca.