Debby
Debbie is a feminine given name. It is often short for Debra or Deborah, which means “bee”.
Meaning & Origin of Debby
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Debbie is a feminine given name. It is often short for Debra or Deborah, which means “bee”.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Debby
Debby first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1923, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1959, when 890 Debbys were born — ranking #309 that year. As of 2026, Debby ranks #11,780 for baby girls with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 10K Debbys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Debby
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Debbie Allen , American actress, choreographer and film director
- Debbie Abrahams , British Labour Party politician
- Debbie Amis Bell , American Civil Rights activist
- Debbie Armstrong , American athlete
- Debby Boone , American singer and author
- Debbie Brill , Canadian high jumper
- Debbie Cook , Californian politician, mayor of Huntington Beach, California
- Debbie Crosbie (born 1969/1970), British banker
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Debby
Phonetically similar names — useful when Debby is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Debby
What does the name Debby mean?
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About the name Debby
Debby is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1923 and has accumulated 10K births in the dataset. Debby's peak popularity came in 1959 when it ranked #309. Use the chart and map above to compare Debby's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1959 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.