Becky

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Becky

Gender: Feminine
Language: English
Etymology:
Becky is and English diminutive of Rebecca, the English form of a Hebrew name, Rebekah. Originally it meant “One Who Snares,” “Fat and Full,” or “Captivating.”

History:
Becky became an independent name in the 18th and 19th century, after Rebecca was revived in the 17th century. Both names were quite popular among English Puritans at home and abroad. At this time names ending in “a” were frequently pronounced as if they ended in “y” (Anna to Anny, Martha to Marthy, etc.).

Becky has always followed the fortunes of its parent name, Rebecca. When Rebecca was popular in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, so was Becky. When Rebecca declined (along with other Biblical names) in the early 20th century, Becky disappeared. When Rebecca was revived in the 1930s, Becky reappeared, along with a host of other variants like Becca, and Bekki.

Please see Rebecca for more information.

Pronunciation: beck-ee.

Alternates: Beca, Becca, Becki, Beckie, Becky, Bekki.
Welsh: Beca.

Famous Bearers:
Fictional Characters:
Becky Sharp
From William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair (1847).
Becky Thatcher
From Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.066 % named Becky
0.002 % named Beckie
0.001 % named Becki

Popularity of Becky:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1850: 281st most popular.
1875: 385th most popular.
1880: 628th most popular.
1881: 582nd most popular.
1882-1883: N/A
1884: 930th most popular.
1885: N/A
1886: 897th most popular.
1887: 937th most popular.
1888-1930: N/A
1931: 966th most popular.
1932: 934th most popular.
1933: 849th most popular.
1934: 829th most popular.
1935: 662nd most popular.
1936: 603rd most popular.
1937: 634th most popular.
1938: 498th most popular.
1939: 416th most popular.
1940: 346th most popular.
1941: 318th most popular.
1942: 304th most popular.
1943: 297th most popular.
1944: 283rd most popular.
1945: 264th most popular.
1946: 224th most popular.
1947: 205th most popular.
1948: 210th most popular.
1949: 222nd most popular.
1950: 216th most popular.
1951: 215th most popular.
1952: 193rd most popular.
1953: 189th most popular.
1954: 179th most popular.
1955: 174th most popular.
1956: 144th most popular.
1957: 127th most popular.
1958: 111th most popular.
1959: 102nd most popular.
1960: 111th most popular.
1961: 115th most popular.
1962: 121st most popular.
1963: 126th most popular.
1964: 131st most popular.
1965: 143rd most popular.
1966: 153rd most popular.
1967: 162nd most popular.
1968: 161st most popular.
1969: 155th most popular.
1970: 161st most popular.
1971: 163rd most popular.
1972: 165th most popular.
1973: 170th most popular.
1974: 177th most popular.
1975: 193rd most popular.
1976: 206th most popular.
1977: 245th most popular.
1978: 245th most popular.
1979: 269th most popular.
1980: 254th most popular.
1981: 250th most popular.
1982: 305th most popular.
1983: 332nd most popular.
1984: 384th most popular.
1985: 428th most popular.
1986: 534th most popular.
1987: 532nd most popular.
1988: 617th most popular.
1989: 752nd most popular.
1990: 912th most popular.
1991: 987th most popular.
1992-2004: N/A

Selected Sources:
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990
The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, Mcleod and Freedman, 1995

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 (www.ssa.gov) - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)