Given name & surname

Reba

“one who is bound to God”

In Hebrew use, Reba carries the interpretation “one who is bound to God.”

Original Hebrewרבע

Meaning & origin

What it means

In Hebrew use, Reba carries the interpretation “one who is bound to God.”

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.

How it developed

Reba is used as a form of Rebecca.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Reba is a form of Rebecca. The history of Rebecca gives this family its wider story. Rebecca has a place in biblical naming traditions.

Combines direct and name-family evidence

In the Bible

In the Bible, the name Reba appears in Numbers 31:8.

From biblical name research

Reba through the years

Babies since 1880
35,491
60 boys · 35,431 girls
Most popular year
1925
792 babies
2025
9
#10,733 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−11%
Easing
020040060080018801900192019401960198020002025Highest share 19155.6
Reba in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1880–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 10,733 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 10.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 792 in 1925. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 13,767 as a first name in 2020; 246 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Reba’s family of names

In English usage, Reba is a diminutive of Rebecca. Reba has a related form in Ree. Reba is a form of Rebecca.

Walk Reba’s family in the name graph

RebaRebeccaReeRhebaRebbaReebaReabaRebahReyba

The ring: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 8

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

See also 1

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

People named Reba

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Appears in

Similar names

If you love Reba, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Hebrew · Old-fashioned

Edna

“one who brings pleasure; a delight”

36RareSteady

>99% girls

Hebrew · Old-fashioned

Beulah

“married” · “woman who is claimed as a wife”

22RareSteady

>99% girls

Hebrew · Old-fashioned

Rena

“one who sings a joyous song”

36RareSteady

>99% girls

Hebrew · Old-fashioned

Eva

“giver of life; a lively woman”

74CommonEasing

>99% girls

Spanish · Old-fashioned

Manuela

“God is with us”

35RareSteady

>99% girls

Greek · Old-fashioned

Dorcas

“resembling a gazelle”

28RareSteady

>99% girls

Old-fashioned

Bulah

“married” · “woman who is claimed as a wife”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

English · Old-fashioned

Yetta

“ruler of the house” · “myrtle”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Reba’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Reba

A sister for Reba