Total births
755,992
Girls' name · since 1880
Rebecca
755,992 babies named Rebecca in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1981. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #340
- among girls today
- 755,992
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Rebecca currently ranks #340 among girls' names in America, with 755,992 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Rebecca recorded 755,992 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #340 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #340 among girls today
- 755,992 born since 1880
- 1970s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Rebecca is currently the #340 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 755,992 born since 1880, peaking in the 1970s.
- #340
- among girls today
- 755,992
- born since 1880
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Rebecca vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#340
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Rebecca was born in this single decade.
1981
Single peak year
16,737 babies were named Rebecca in 1981 - its busiest year on record.
How Rebecca compares
755,992 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Rebecca's all-time total is 1,979x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rebecca | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 755,992 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 16,737 | 48 | 19,840 |
Rebecca's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Rebecca's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 84% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 16%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 226 births recorded -- set against the 1981 peak of 16,737, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Rebecca at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1981
Current rank
#340
Active since
1880
Rebecca popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1981)
- 16,737
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Rebecca popularity over time - boys
2,114 total births recorded since 1909 (Rebecca as boys' name)
Rebecca by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Rebecca's strongest decade.
137,285 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Rebecca births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,849
1880s
2,849 births
- 1890s 3,660
1890s
3,660 births
- 1900s 4,052
1900s
4,052 births
- 1910s 9,474
1910s
9,474 births
- 1920s 12,281
1920s
12,281 births
- 1930s 12,615
1930s
12,615 births
- 1940s 45,313
1940s
45,313 births
- 1950s
1950s
115,690 births
- 1960s
1960s
99,462 births
- 1970s
1970s
137,285 births
- 1980s
1980s
136,248 births
- 1990s
1990s
109,721 births
- 2000s 43,741
2000s
43,741 births
- 2010s 17,488
2010s
17,488 births
- 2020s 6,113
2020s
6,113 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 137,285 births (18% of all-time use).
How Rebecca compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Rebecca's total volume
Rebecca vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Rebecca by state
Where Rebecca concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 65,869 | 8.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 54,251 | 7.2% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 41,800 | 5.5% |
| #4 | New York | | 40,035 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 38,531 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 33,163 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 29,309 | 3.9% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 23,830 | 3.2% |
California share of Rebecca's total US births 8.7%
Even split
65,869 of 755,992 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Rebecca appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rebecca? ▼
755,992 babies have been named Rebecca since 1880. It currently ranks #340 among girls. The peak year was 1981 with 16,737 births.
When was Rebecca most popular? ▼
Rebecca was most popular in the 1970s decade with 137,285 total births. The single peak year was 1981.
Where is Rebecca most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Rebecca are California (65,869 births), Texas (54,251 births), Ohio (41,800 births).
How long has the name Rebecca been used? ▼
Records for Rebecca go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Rebecca? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rebekah, Reba, Rebeca, Rebecka, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Rebecca's data
- Rebecca's decade-level peak was the 1970s (137,285 total births); usage has since declined to 6,113 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Rebeccas (65,869 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Rebecca
Nearby Names Like Rebecca
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rebecca
Rebekah Girl
#875 75,796 births
Reba Girl
#5968 35,431 births
Rebeca Girl
#1265 14,193 births
Rebecka Girl
3,319 births
Rebeka Girl
#11278 2,660 births
Compare Rebecca side by side: Rebecca vs Rebekah Rebecca vs Reba Rebecca vs Rebeca
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rebecca
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Rebecca: #340 Girls' Name - 755,992 Births, Peak 1981." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/rebecca. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Rebecca draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.