Debra
Girl nameDebra has been given to 551,841 babies in the U.S. since 1914. It peaked in 1955.
Meaning & origin /ˈdɛbɹə/
A spelling variant of Deborah first used in the 20th century.
Origin: Hebrew
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
551,841
Peak year
1955 (50,638 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1914
10-year trend
▼ -18%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Rank through the decades
Debra's rank among U.S. girl names at 25-year milestones.
| Year | Girls rank |
|---|---|
| 1950 | #59 |
| 1975 | #114 |
— means outside the top 1000 that year.
Spellings & variants
Names one letter away from Debra — alternate spellings parents actually use.
Famous people named Debra
Debra Winger
American actress
Debra Messing
American actress (born 1968)
Deb Haaland
American politician (born 1960)
Debra Jo Rupp
American actress
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Debra.
FAQ
How popular is the name Debra?
Debra has been given to 551,841 babies in the U.S. since 1914. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.
When did the name Debra peak?
Debra peaked in 1955, when 50,638 babies were given the name.
Is Debra a girl or boy name?
Debra is primarily a girl name (100% of babies named Debra are girls).
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