When I was younger, I met a girl called [name_f]Rivka[/name_f], and I immediately fell in love with the name. It had fallen off my radar until recently, and I find myself loving it as much as I did back then.
To me, [name_f]Rivka[/name_f] is strong, off-beat, and beautiful. Where I live, [name_f]Rivka[/name_f] is basically unheard of as a name for girls who are not Jewish, and it’s rare even within the Jewish community. From 2012 data I’ve found, 5 or fewer baby girls were named [name_f]Rivka[/name_f] in my state.
It’s fine. I don’t buy into the idea that a culture, country, or religion can own a name. They’re just syllables. So many of our traditional names are Biblical, i.e., Hebrew in origin to begin with. [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Leah[/name_f], [name_f]Sarah[/name_f], etc. [name_f]Rivka[/name_f] is just a variant of [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f]/[name_f]Rebekah[/name_f].
I met a [name_f]Rivka[/name_f] when I was younger too! She went to the same camp as me when we were like 13 and became one of my best friends that summer. What a blast from the past.
I like the name. I used to call my friend “[name_f]Rivy[/name_f]” for short (Rivvie? [name_f]Rivvy[/name_f]? No idea how I’d spell that). I found that nickname really charming. I definitely find the name usable, pretty, and intriguing. It’s easy to spell and pronounce, while still being unfamiliar. It’s a solid choice!
Being Jewish myself, it would seem really strange to me to meet a little girl named [name_f]Rivka[/name_f] who wasn’t Jewish. It’s just such a specifically Jewish name to me. I think also because I’ve only heard of Rivkas in more religiously Jewish families it’d make it even more strange for me to see it on a non-Jewish child. But I have absolutely no issue at all with names being used across cultures/ethnicities so really this is just a personal opinion. All of that aside it’s a strong, unique name!
I think [name_f]Rivka[/name_f] is great - so zesty and upbeat! I might automatically assume a [name_f]Rivka[/name_f] to be Jewish/part of a Jewish family, however, if she was not, that wouldn’t really surprise me either. [name_f]Rivka[/name_f] is a beautiful name.
