R
Feminine
Swedish
Meaning & History
Rebecka is the Swedish variant of Rebecca, a name with deep biblical roots. The original Hebrew form is Rivqa, spelled רִבְקָה, likely derived from a Semitic root meaning "join, tie, snare". In the Old Testament, Rebecca is the wife of Isaac and the mother of Esau and Jacob, as recounted in Genesis 24. After the Protestant Reformation, the name began to be used as a Christian name in English-speaking countries and gained particular popularity among Puritans in the 17th century. It remained consistently used and became very common in the second half of the 20th century.
Cultural Significance
The name Rebecca appears in notable literary works, including the Jewish woman in Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (1819) and the title character of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (1938), who is deceased and unseen. In Sweden, Rebecka gained a distinct spelling and usage, reflective of the Swedish adaptation of the name.Notable Bearers
Several notable Swedish women bear the name Rebecka.- Rebecka Belldegrun (born 1950), American ophthalmologist and businesswoman
- Rebecka Hemse (born 1975), Swedish actress
- Rebecka Le Moine (born 1990), Swedish politician
- Rebecka Liljeberg (born 1981), Swedish actress
- Rebecka Mendelssohn (1811–1858), German salonist
- Rebecka Törnqvist (born 1964), Swedish singer
- Rebecka Blomqvist (born 1997), Swedish footballer
Related Names
Rebecka is closely related to other variants across languages, such as Rebecca (Italian), Rebekah (English), Rhebekka (Biblical Greek), Rivqa (Biblical Hebrew), Rebeka (Slovene), and Rebekka (Norwegian).- Meaning: "join, tie, snare"
- Origin: Hebrew, via Germanic and Swedish adaptation
- Type: Given name
- Usage: Swedish
Related Names
Other Languages & Cultures
Sources: Wikipedia — Rebecka