Reba

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Girl · Hebrew

Reba

Say it: REE-buh

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Meaning

A short form of Rebecca, from Hebrew Rivqah, whose meaning is uncertain (a root meaning 'to tie, bind' is often proposed).

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Most common in the American South between the 1880s and the 1930s.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1900s

In the United States

02040608018801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1915per 100,000 babies of that sex
  • 35,390 babies given this name since 1880
  • At its height in 1909, about 1 in 1,700 girls
  • 18 babies in 2020

Through the ages

  1. Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
  2. The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

American

Famous bearers

  • Reba McEntire, American country singer

Names worth a look

Where this comes from

  • National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.