Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Rifka connects to the Rebecca name family through Riva. Rebecca has been associated with Latin and Hebrew naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1952. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Rifka connects to the Rebecca name family through Riva. The history of Rebecca gives this family its wider story. Rebecca has a place in biblical naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Rifka through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 736
- 0 boys · 736 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #11,722 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −25%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 11,722 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 25.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 20 in 2001. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 605 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Rifka’s family of names
In Turkish usage, Rifka has a conventional equivalent in the German form Rebekka. Rifka has a related form in Riva.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Rifka
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Rifka, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rebeckah
>99% girls
Rebeca
Rebeca is a feminine given name. It is used in Spanish and Portuguese.
>99% girls
Rebekah
“enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”
>99% girls
Eryn
“woman from Ireland” · “a man from Ireland”
3% boys · 97% girls
Ellyce
“the Lord is my God” · “Jehovah is my God”
>99% girls
Kala
“son of the sun”
>99% girls
Hanna
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Abagail
“father of exaltation” · “the source of a father”
>99% girls