Girls' name · since 1914
Debra
Debra has 550,695 recorded births since 1914 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1955 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #56 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,466 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 550,695
- born since 1914
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Debra is the #4466 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 550,695 recorded since 1914.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Debra has been recorded 550,695 times among girls since 1914, currently ranked #4466 nationally and more common than 74% 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 1914 to 2025.
- #56 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,466 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 550,695 born since 1914
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Debra ranks #56 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,466 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 550,695 born since 1914, peaking in the 1950s.
- #56 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,466 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 550,695
- born since 1914
- 1950s
- peak decade
Debra's 550,695 recorded births place it above 99.92% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Debra compares
550,695 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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
Debra's all-time total is 1,465x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Debra | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 550,695 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 50,563 | 21 | 19,840 |
Debra's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Debra's full recorded timeline at 1970, 9% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 91% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1914, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1955 peak of 50,563 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Debra popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2025
- Peak year (1955)
- 50,563
- Annual births at peak, across 112 years of records
Debra popularity over time - boys
1,146 total births recorded since 1949 (Debra as boys' name)
Debra by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (341,348 births, 62% of the file).
1950s was Debra's strongest decade.
341,348 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 62% of all-time use.
Debra births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 41
1910s
41 births
- 1920s 94
1920s
94 births
- 1930s 468
1930s
468 births
- 1940s 5,429
1940s
5,429 births
- 1950s
1950s
341,348 births
- 1960s
1960s
153,771 births
- 1970s 34,605
1970s
34,605 births
- 1980s 9,823
1980s
9,823 births
- 1990s 3,125
1990s
3,125 births
- 2000s 1,213
2000s
1,213 births
- 2010s 547
2010s
547 births
- 2020s 231
2020s
231 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 341,348 births (62% of all-time use).
How Debra 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 Debra's total volume
Debra by state
Where Debra concentrates geographically, total births since 1914
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 44,156 | 8.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 39,520 | 7.2% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 33,935 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Texas | | 31,331 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 30,913 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 28,990 | 5.3% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 26,256 | 4.8% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 17,849 | 3.2% |
44,156 of 550,695 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Debra appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Debra? ▼
Where does Debra sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Debra most popular? ▼
Where is Debra most popular? ▼
How long has the name Debra been used? ▼
What names are similar to Debra? ▼
What to do with Debra's data
- Debra's decade-level peak was the 1950s (341,348 total births); usage has since declined to 231 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Debras (44,156 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Debra
Nearby Names Like Debra
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Debra
Compare Debra side by side: Debra vs Deborah Debra vs Debbie Debra vs Debora
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Debra
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Debra: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1955)
Similar record span (~111 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1914–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Debra 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 August 2026.