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Re: Rabea
Rebecca was used among German Protestants after the Reformation in the 1600s.
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It was used, but still rare. It was also used by German Jews. But I never encountered a form of Rebecca that was only slightly similar to Rabea. The most common German forms (Besides spelling variations like Rebecka or Rebekka) are Becki, Beke, Beeke etc., the main Yiddish variants are Rivka or Rifka.One needs to explain the vowel "a" in the first syllable (in German it is distinct from "e" and not just a spelling variant), and the addition of the final -a to an already feminine name.--elbowin
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