Meaning & History
Uncertain. The name is theorized to come from either Proto-Slavic *or-ba from *orati meaning "to plough", or ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Ar(ə)-b(h)ā from *ar(ə) meaning "fast-moving". It is the name of a tributary of the Vistula in southern Poland, and the namesake of the town Rabka-Zdrój (also known as Rabka) and villages Raba Niżna and Raba Wyżna.