Rivka
Rivka was the 629th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 464 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 233 places. More babies were named Rivka in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning to tie, bind (Hebrew Rebecca) · Hebrew
Say it RIV-kuh /ˈrɪvkə/
- Rank in 2025
- #629 girls, up 152 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 464girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025464 babies
- Total since 1880
- 10,022babies recorded
What does the name Rivka mean?
Rivka is the Hebrew form of Rebecca, the wife of Isaac in Genesis; Genesis 24:15 introduces her coming to the well. DMNES explains Hebrew Rivqah as "connection," from a Semitic root meaning to join or tie. Wiktionary records Rivka from Hebrew and Yiddish (Rivke) and calls it a doublet of Rebecca, the English form. The name is used mainly in Jewish families, and US records show it from 1949.
רִבְקָה (Biblical Hebrew, “Rebecca”)*r-b-q (Proto-Semitic, “to join, tie”)
How sure is this? Probable. DMNES gives 'connection', from a root meaning to tie.
Related names: Rebecca, Rebekah, Becky, Riva.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Rebecca', DMNES (Durham University)
- Genesis 24:15, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rivka' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Rivka
The usual nicknames for Rivka are Rivky. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Rivka in the last five years, 32 were named Rivky, against 21 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rivky | Traditional | #1,491 | 638 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rivkas go by each one.
Rivka popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #629 | 464 |
| 2020 | #781 | 348 |
| 2010 | #1,014 | 248 |
| 2000 | #1,296 | 149 |
| 1990 | #1,453 | 108 |
| 1980 | #1,637 | 71 |
| 1970 | #2,502 | 30 |
| 1960 | #2,968 | 18 |
| 1950 | #2,877 | 14 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Rivka, counting every spelling?
Rivka is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #595 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #629 for Rivka on its own. Together these spellings went to 499 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rivka | 464 | #629 | 1,974 |
| Rivkah | 35 | #4,151 | 174 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Rivka?
464 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rivka (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Rivka born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 18 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rivka.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rivka?
About 9,800 people born in the US named Rivka are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 7 and 28. That makes Rivka mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Rivka by state
How common Rivka was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (15.6×), New York (10.9×). In 43 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rivka: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rivka, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rivka · Sibling names for Rivka
Questions about the name Rivka
What does Rivka mean?
Rivka means “to tie, bind (Hebrew Rebecca)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Rivka?
Rivka was the 629th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 464 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 233 places. More babies were named Rivka in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Rivka a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Rivka in the US.
Where is Rivka most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rivka was most common in New Jersey (3.79 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and Maryland.