Debborah
Feminine name of Hebrew origin translating to "bee".
Name Census estimates that about 453 living Americans carry the first name Debborah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Debborah today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Debborah births was 1952 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Debborah. 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 Debborah is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Debborahs were born before 1969.
People living today
453
~ 1 in 756,632 Americans
Peak year
1952
57 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1989 SSA rank
#12,875
Tracked since 1948
Popularity
Debborah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Debborah from the 1940s through to the 1980s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 386 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
Debborah 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 Debborah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Debborahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Michigan, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Debborah, while Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Debborah
The name Debborah is a feminine given name derived from the Hebrew name Devorah, which means "bee" in Hebrew. The name has its origins in ancient Israel, dating back to biblical times.
In the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible, Deborah was a prophetess and the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, who helped lead the Israelites in a battle against the Canaanites around 1200 BCE. She is considered one of the most influential women in the Old Testament and is revered as a heroine in Jewish and Christian traditions.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Debborah can be traced back to the 16th century in England, where it was likely influenced by the biblical figure. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Debora" or "Deborah."
One of the earliest notable figures with the name was Deborah Samson (1760-1827), an American woman who disguised herself as a man and fought in the American Revolutionary War. She was later awarded a pension for her military service.
Another historically significant individual was Deborah Franklin (1759-1824), the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and one of the first female printers and publishers in America.
In the 19th century, Deborah Cadbury (1833-1922) was a prominent English social reformer and philanthropist, known for her work in improving the lives of women and children in the Birmingham area.
Deborah Kerr (1921-2007) was a renowned Scottish actress who starred in numerous films, including "The King and I" and "From Here to Eternity," for which she received an Academy Award nomination.
Deborah Harry (born 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known as the lead singer of the iconic punk rock band Blondie, known for hits like "Heart of Glass" and "Call Me."
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Debborah, which has maintained its association with strength, resilience, and leadership.
People
Debborah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Debborah 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
Debborah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Debborah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 453 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Debborah 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 756,632 US residents.
Is Debborah a common name?
We classify Debborah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 617 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Debborah most popular?
The single biggest year for Debborah was 1952, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Debborah is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Debborah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Debborah 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.
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.