# Debra (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/debra/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɛbɹə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 551,841 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,146 / 550,695 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 91, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

A spelling variant of Deborah first used in the 20th century.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 64 | 2,736 |
| 2012 | 68 | 2,639 |
| 2013 | 48 | 3,330 |
| 2014 | 54 | 3,087 |
| 2015 | 38 | 3,932 |
| 2016 | 53 | 3,113 |
| 2017 | 45 | 3,448 |
| 2018 | 50 | 3,218 |
| 2019 | 54 | 3,014 |
| 2020 | 44 | 3,459 |
| 2021 | 44 | 3,504 |
| 2022 | 39 | 3,842 |
| 2023 | 30 | 4,587 |
| 2024 | 43 | 3,593 |
| 2025 | 31 | 4,478 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 32 | 1,369 |
| 1969 | 35 | 1,359 |
| 1970 | 22 | 1,902 |
| 1971 | 20 | 2,070 |
| 1972 | 16 | 2,347 |
| 1973 | 17 | 2,333 |
| 1974 | 6 | 4,754 |
| 1975 | 9 | 3,716 |
| 1976 | 6 | 5,072 |
| 1977 | 7 | 4,703 |
| 1979 | 5 | 6,267 |
| 1981 | 8 | 4,620 |
| 1982 | 9 | 4,311 |
| 1983 | 9 | 4,216 |
| 1984 | 5 | 6,537 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 11 | 1,543 |
| 1998 | 13 | 1,392 |
| 1999 | 7 | 2,189 |
| 2000 | 4 | 3,247 |
| 2001 | 7 | 2,226 |
| 2002 | 3 | 4,137 |
| 2003 | 5 | 3,099 |
| 2006 | 4 | 4,157 |
| 2008 | 3 | 5,545 |
| 2010 | 4 | 4,688 |
| 2014 | 4 | 4,684 |
| 2020 | 3 | 5,493 |
| 2022 | 3 | 5,669 |
| 2024 | 3 | 5,891 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4,867 |

## People named Debra

- Debra Winger, American actress
- Debra Messing, American actress (born 1968)
- Debra Jo Rupp, American actress
- Debra Paget, American actress and entertainer (born 1933)
- Debra Monk, American actress
- Debra Wilson, American actress
- Debra Fischer, American astronomer and academic
- Debra Hill, American film producer (1950-2005)
- Debra Mooney, American actress
- Debra Granik, American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer
- Debra Marshall, American professional wrestling valet and actress
- Debra Sapenter, American sprinter

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.