Debbe
A feminine English variant of the feminine Hebrew name Deborah meaning "bee".
Name Census estimates that about 171 living Americans carry the first name Debbe. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Debbe today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Debbe births was 1958 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Debbe. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Debbe is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Debbes were born before 1967.
People living today
171
~ 1 in 2,004,411 Americans
Peak year
1958
22 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1971 SSA rank
#7,590
Tracked since 1945
Census
Debbe in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 306 people with the first name Debbe, which placed it at #29,088 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#29,088
National first-name rank
People counted
306
306 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
89.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Debbe
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Debbe is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Debbe described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Debbe at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 274
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 14
- Two or more races3.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Popularity
Debbe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Debbe from the 1940s through to the 1970s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 156 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Debbe by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Debbe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Debbes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Debbe
The name Debbe is a diminutive form of the feminine given name Deborah, which has its origins in the Hebrew language. Deborah is derived from the Hebrew word "devorah," meaning "bee." The name's linguistic history can be traced back to ancient Hebrew texts, particularly the Old Testament of the Bible, where it appears as the name of a prophetess and judge of ancient Israel.
In the Book of Judges, Deborah is portrayed as a revered figure, a wise and courageous leader who guided the Israelites during a period of conflict. Her name became associated with strength, wisdom, and leadership, making it a popular choice for naming daughters throughout Jewish history and later in Christian traditions.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Debbe can be found in medieval English records from the 13th century, where it appeared as a variant spelling of Deborah. During this time, the name gained popularity among Christian communities in Europe, particularly in England and other parts of the British Isles.
Notable historical figures with the name Debbe include Debbe Hiatt, an American writer and editor born in 1944, known for her contributions to the science fiction and fantasy genres. Another notable bearer of the name is Debbe Rickerson, an American teacher and education advocate born in 1955, recognized for her work in promoting literacy and educational opportunities.
In the realm of arts and entertainment, Debbe Hine was an American actress and singer born in 1948, best known for her roles in Broadway musicals and television shows. Debbe Reynolds, born in 1936, was an American actress and dancer who appeared in several Hollywood films during the 1950s and 1960s.
Lastly, Debbe Dunning, born in 1966, is an American actress and former model, best recognized for her role as Heidi Keppert on the popular television series "Home Improvement" during the 1990s.
These historical examples showcase the enduring presence of the name Debbe across various fields and time periods, reflecting its cultural significance and adaptability over the centuries.
People
Debbe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Debbe as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Debbe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Debbe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 171 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Debbe going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,004,411 US residents.
Is Debbe a common name?
We classify Debbe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 243 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Debbe most popular?
The single biggest year for Debbe was 1958, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Debbe is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Debbe in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 306 people with the name Debbe, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,088 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Debbe in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Debbe?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Debbe appears almost entirely female. Of the 301 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Debbe?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Debbe is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Debbe most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Debbe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (274 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Debbe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Debbe a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Debbe in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Debbe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Debbe in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Debbe can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Debbe as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.