girl's name
Becky
BEK-ee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 88,856
Northern Ireland
#270
2005 births
Becky means to bind, shortened from Rebecca, and the Hebrew is genuinely uncertain — a knotted cord and a snare are both proposed, and the reading has never been settled. Its strongest market is the United States, at 4024th.
- Becky is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1959, when 4,755 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 92,098 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Becky over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 54 |
| 1890s | 35 |
| 1900s | 49 |
| 1910s | 165 |
| 1920s | 392 |
| 1930s | 1,058 |
| 1940s | 7,732 |
| 1950s | 24,870 |
| 1960s | 29,658 |
| 1970s | 14,351 |
| 1980s | 5,936 |
| 1990s | 1,449 |
| 2000s | 615 |
| 2010s | 467 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 211 |
What Becky means
Becky means to bind or tie firmly, carried from Rebecca. The Hebrew root is not securely established, and a snare and a knotted cord are both proposed for it.
Where Becky comes from
Becky shortens Rebecca, the Hebrew Rivkah, whose derivation is open — a root meaning to tie or bind is the usual proposal, read variously as a knotted cord, a snare, or a tie of some kind. Rebecca is Isaac's wife in Genesis and the one who engineers Jacob's deception of his father, so she is the active mover in that story rather than its object. The name entered English use after the Reformation with the Hebrew Bible.
Becky in use
Becky peaked in the United States in 1959, when 4,755 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 4,024th in the United States on 36 births, across 88,856 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1880.
How popular is Becky?
In 2025, Becky was given to 36 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Becky is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Becky
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Becky also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Becky over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Becky in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Becky
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Becky — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Becky
What does the name Becky mean?
To bind or tie firmly, carried from Rebecca — though the Hebrew root is not settled.
Who was Rebecca in Genesis?
Isaac's wife, and the one who engineers Jacob's deception of his father.
Is Becky short for Rebecca?
Yes, and it is widely registered as a name in its own right.
How popular is Becky?
4024th in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Becky a girl's or a boy's name?
Becky is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Becky?
Becky has 2 syllables.
Is Becky a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Becky currently ranks #1,675 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.