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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Is Rebecca timeless or dated?

217 replies

Candleflamingbright · 13/02/2020 21:40

Just that :-)

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Bitchbadgerplease · 15/02/2020 14:27

grandma lottie I've lived in a few places in the north. Ive worked with 3 Rebeccas as an adult (thinking quickly, there may be more) and went to school with 4 that I can think of. Two were in my class. As an infant I remember being taught how to say one another's names and definitely was the 'ree' sound. It's maybe softer than that in speech but I'd never have thought of it as a 'ruh' sound. It's not a rule I made, I'm just going off experience.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 15/02/2020 13:33

Timeless.

BookMeOnTheSudExpress summed it up for me.
I think people are confusing "had a run of popularity 30 years ago" and "dated". Dated would be something that was never a classic to begin with.

4000 years old, as bridgetreilly said. Yes, it's biblical. She was the wife of Abraham's son Isaac, and the mother of Jacob and Esau.

I love Daphne Du Maurier's book Rebecca and the Hitchcock film version. Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair is one of the greatest characters in English literature.

Good classic name. Go for it!

3rdNamechange · 15/02/2020 13:09

Beautiful , but not keen on Becky

SalmonOfKnowledge · 15/02/2020 13:09

A bit dated but that is not a bad thing in my opinion. It's a bit harsh.

Jillian is dated but a fresh choice if you see what I mean.
Lots of names that aren't in use at the moment are pretty. Melanie is another example. Rebecca is just a bit sharp.

gossipgirl28 · 15/02/2020 13:09

Dated and boring sorry

lottiegarbanzo · 15/02/2020 13:07

I've never heard the Re pronounced as Ree, ever. What accent is that?

I'm fairly RP but have lived in quite a few places. Not been listening for it I suppose but do think 'Ruh-BECK-uh' is normal.

SallyWD · 15/02/2020 07:38

I've already posted but want to post again! I love Rebecca anyway but love it even more because it's so refreshing in a sea of Islas, Avas, Evies, etc. I actually love all this names listed but it seems all little girls now have those names.

DaisyDando · 15/02/2020 07:31

I like Rebecca very much. I know an adult Rebecca who insists on Bex and I find that very cringe.

headlicehelp · 15/02/2020 07:31

Timeless but I really hate becky which is a likely shortening so I couldn't use it.

grandmasterstitch · 15/02/2020 07:29

@Bitchbadgerplease it's definitely not ree beck er Hmm it's ruh beck ah. If I introduced myself as Reebeccer I would sound like a nutter

ethelredonagoodday · 14/02/2020 23:56

I'm also a Rebecca who frequently gets called Rachel! Apart from that, I quite like it, and the various shortened versions.

Bitchbadgerplease · 14/02/2020 23:13

electrical I understand that , but It's a very similar sound and almost identical in some accents.

vegan true. It's definitely been said as Ree in he circles I've moved in.

TheVanguardSix · 14/02/2020 22:07

Timeless. I have a 9 year old Rebecca.

Electrical · 14/02/2020 21:57

bitch it’s re-bec-ah, nor ‘er’.

Hypergear · 14/02/2020 21:33

Sounds dated to me, not a fan

doritosdip · 14/02/2020 21:23

Rebecca is timeless but Becky is not

1066vegan · 14/02/2020 21:16

@Bitchbadgerplease maybe we should be talking about pronunciation as well as spelling. It wouldn't have crossed my mind to say Ree-becc-er; I've only ever heard Ruh-becc-er.

StCharlotte · 14/02/2020 21:12

Timeless. I love it. The only shortening I'm not keen on is Becca (which naturally is the one in our family!).

I don't see how any of the biblical names can be dated Smile

Whatsyourflava · 14/02/2020 21:05

@4amWitchingHour that’s nice you know a baby Rebecca- there really isn’t many of them now though. Name is about to leave the top 200 (!!) names. It’s completely tanked.
Names like Emily and Sophie still top 10.

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 14/02/2020 20:42

Lovely name, properly timeless. There's one in Y1 at the school where I work, we've not had one for a while so its nice to have a Rebecca to stand out in a veritable horde of Ellies, Avas and Isabelles

cidersupernova · 14/02/2020 20:40

I love it, it’s a beautiful name. Like others I’m not a fan of Becky/Becca/Bex though

Mwnci123 · 14/02/2020 20:38

Timeless. I think I like all of its diminutives too.

Bitchbadgerplease · 14/02/2020 20:37

That should be someone who 'Rebecks' things, now I reconsider it.

Bitchbadgerplease · 14/02/2020 20:36

I think I've figured why I don't like it. It's the 'Ree' sound coupled with the 'er' sound. Ree -Beck-Er. It sounds like 'rewind' 'refurbish' etc. Then the er at the end implies that's what this person is or does. It's someone who 're somethings' becks. Ive not been smoking anything, honest

LucyFox · 14/02/2020 20:09

Can a biblical name really ever be called dated?
I know Rebecca’s aged 60+, early 40’s, mid 30’s, mid 20’s, late teens & the youngest I know has just turned 12.