Total births
742,820
Girls' name · since 1880
Deborah
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 742,820 babies named Deborah, peaking in 1954. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #853
- among girls today
- 742,820
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
742,820 babies have been named Deborah since 1880, making it today's #853 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Deborah has been recorded 742,820 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #853 nationally and more common than 95% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #853 among girls today
- 742,820 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Deborah is currently the #853 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 742,820 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #853
- among girls today
- 742,820
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Deborah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#853
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
58% of everyone ever named Deborah was born in this single decade.
1954
Single peak year
54,674 babies were named Deborah in 1954 - its busiest year on record.
How Deborah compares
742,820 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Deborah's all-time total is 1,945x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Deborah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 742,820 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 54,674 | 48 | 19,840 |
Deborah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Deborah splits its recorded history at 1953: 77% of all births land in the more recent half, 23% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1885 (10 births) -- compare that against the 1954 peak of 54,674 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Deborah at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1954
Current rank
#853
Active since
1880
Deborah popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1954)
- 54,674
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Deborah popularity over time - boys
1,658 total births recorded since 1939 (Deborah as boys' name)
Deborah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Deborah's strongest decade.
430,537 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 58% of all-time use.
Deborah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 143
1880s
143 births
- 1890s 183
1890s
183 births
- 1900s 226
1900s
226 births
- 1910s 651
1910s
651 births
- 1920s 1,070
1920s
1,070 births
- 1930s 2,808
1930s
2,808 births
- 1940s 44,054
1940s
44,054 births
- 1950s
1950s
430,537 births
- 1960s
1960s
183,439 births
- 1970s 47,855
1970s
47,855 births
- 1980s 14,783
1980s
14,783 births
- 1990s 7,574
1990s
7,574 births
- 2000s 4,284
2000s
4,284 births
- 2010s 3,429
2010s
3,429 births
- 2020s 1,784
2020s
1,784 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 430,537 births (58% of all-time use).
How Deborah compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Deborah's total volume
Deborah vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Deborah by state
Where Deborah concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 68,257 | 9.2% |
| #2 | California | | 56,646 | 7.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 50,340 | 6.8% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 47,431 | 6.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 38,687 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Texas | | 37,601 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 34,412 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 26,508 | 3.6% |
New York share of Deborah's total US births 9.2%
Even split
68,257 of 742,820 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Deborah appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Deborah? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 742,820 babies named Deborah. Today it holds rank #853 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1954, with 54,674 births.
When was Deborah most popular? ▼
Deborah was most popular in the 1950s decade with 430,537 total births. The single peak year was 1954.
Where is Deborah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Deborah are New York (68,257 births), California (56,646 births), Pennsylvania (50,340 births).
How long has the name Deborah been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Deborah since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Deborah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Debra, Debbie, Debora, Debby, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Deborah's data
- Deborah's decade-level peak was the 1950s (430,537 total births); usage has since declined to 1,784 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Deborahs (68,257 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Deborah
Nearby Names Like Deborah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Deborah
Debra Girl
#3581 550,695 births
Debbie Girl
#4566 187,853 births
Debora Girl
#2122 30,133 births
Debby Girl
9,697 births
Debrah Girl
4,404 births
Compare Deborah side by side: Deborah vs Debra Deborah vs Debbie Deborah vs Debora
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Deborah
Barbara #852
1,436,695 births · Peak 1947
Anais #854
9,213 births · Peak 2021
Skyla #851
14,344 births · Peak 2012
Malaysia #855
11,031 births · Peak 2014
Zainab #850
7,326 births · Peak 2025
Amaris #856
9,422 births · Peak 2016
Love #849
4,797 births · Peak 2022
Aliya #857
11,075 births · Peak 2012
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Deborah: #853 Girls' Name - 742,820 Births, Peak 1954." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/deborah. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Deborah draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.