Deborra
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Hebrew "deborah" meaning "bee".
Name Census estimates that about 162 living Americans carry the first name Deborra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Deborra today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deborra births was 1953 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deborra. 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 Deborra is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Deborras were born before 1965.
People living today
162
~ 1 in 2,115,768 Americans
Peak year
1953
53 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1964 SSA rank
#6,163
Tracked since 1947
Census
Deborra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 241 people with the first name Deborra, which placed it at #34,040 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
#34,040
National first-name rank
People counted
241
241 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
81.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deborra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deborra is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (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 Deborra 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 Deborra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 196
- Black or African American11.2% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 8
- Two or more races2.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Popularity
Deborra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deborra from the 1940s through to the 1960s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 208 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
Deborra 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 Deborra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deborras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Kansas, Michigan recorded the most babies named Deborra, while Michigan, Kansas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Deborra
The name Deborra is a feminine given name with origins that can be traced back to the Hebrew language. It is derived from the Hebrew word "devorah," which means "bee." This name has been in use since ancient times and is connected to various cultural and religious traditions.
In the Bible, Deborah was the name of a prophetess and judge who played a significant role in the Book of Judges. She is renowned for her wisdom, leadership, and courage in guiding the Israelites during a time of oppression. This biblical connection has contributed to the popularity of the name among certain religious communities.
The name Deborra has also been associated with various spellings and variations throughout history, such as Debora, Devora, and Devorah. These variations reflect the linguistic and cultural influences that have shaped the name over time.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Deborra can be found in ancient Greek texts, where it appears as "Deborra." This suggests that the name may have been adopted and adapted by different cultures and languages throughout history.
Several notable historical figures have borne the name Deborra. One such example is Deborra Pett (1940-2022), an Australian actress and film producer who was married to acclaimed actor Hugh Jackman. Another prominent figure is Deborra-Lee Furness (born 1955), an Australian actress and activist who has appeared in numerous films and television series.
In the literary realm, Deborra is the name of a character in the novel "The Blithedale Romance" by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), a renowned American novelist and short story writer. This literary reference highlights the enduring legacy of the name in various artistic and cultural contexts.
Beyond these examples, other historical figures with the name Deborra include Deborra Marshall (1953-2008), an American actress known for her work in television and film, and Deborra Muir (born 1960), a New Zealand actress and singer.
Throughout its history, the name Deborra has carried connotations of strength, resilience, and wisdom, reflecting the qualities embodied by its biblical and cultural origins. Its enduring presence across various societies and eras serves as a testament to its timeless appeal and significance.
People
Deborra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deborra 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
Deborra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deborra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 162 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deborra 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 2,115,768 US residents.
Is Deborra a common name?
We classify Deborra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 235 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deborra most popular?
The single biggest year for Deborra was 1953, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deborra is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Deborra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 241 people with the name Deborra, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,040 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 Deborra 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 Deborra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Deborra appears almost entirely female. Of the 244 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 Deborra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deborra is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (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 Deborra most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Deborra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (196 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 Deborra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Deborra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deborra 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 Deborra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Deborra 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 Deborra 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 Americans are named Deborra?
Want to know how many people have the name Deborra? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.