Debra
Debra is a feminine given name. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include:
- English
Meaning & Origin of Debra
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Debra is a feminine given name. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Debra
Debra first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1914, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1955: 50,560 births, good for #4 nationwide. The 1950s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 62% of all recorded Debras. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #3,951 among baby girl names with 37 births, falling sharply (-21%). In total, more than 551K Debras have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Debra
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Debra. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Debra
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Debra Adelaide (born 1958), Australian writer
- Debra Allbery (born 1957), American poet
- Debra R. Anderson (1949–2022), American politician
- Debra Austin (born 1955), American ballerina
- Debra Berger (born 1957), American actress, artist and designer
- Debra Bermingham , American artist
- Debra Bloomfield (born 1952), American photographer
- Debra Bowen (born 1955), American politician, Secretary of State of California from 2007 to 2015
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Where is Debra most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- United States75%
- United Kingdom10%
- Canada7%
- Australia7%
- South Africa2%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Debra
Phonetically similar names — useful when Debra 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 Debra
What does the name Debra mean?
What is the origin of the name Debra?
How popular is Debra in 2026?
When was Debra most popular?
In which U.S. states is Debra most popular?
Is Debra a unisex name?
What names go well with Debra?
What are nicknames or variants of Debra?
About the name Debra
Debra is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 551K births in the dataset. Debra's peak popularity came in 1955 when it ranked #2. Use the chart and map above to compare Debra's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1955 →
- 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.