Total births
550,695
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.
- #3581
- among girls today
- 550,695
- born since 1914
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Debra is the #3581 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 #3581 nationally and more common than 80% 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.
- #3581 among girls today
- 550,695 born since 1914
- 1950s peak decade
- 80% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Debra is currently the #3581 girls' name in America, more common than 80% of girls - 550,695 born since 1914, peaking in the 1950s.
- #3581
- among girls today
- 550,695
- born since 1914
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
Debra vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3581
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 80% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
62% of everyone ever named Debra was born in this single decade.
1955
Single peak year
50,563 babies were named Debra in 1955 - its busiest year on record.
How Debra compares
550,695 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
Debra's all-time total is 1,442x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Debra | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 550,695 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 50,563 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1955
Current rank
#3,581
Active since
1914
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
California share of Debra's total US births 8.0%
Even split
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? ▼
550,695 babies have been named Debra since 1914. It currently ranks #3581 among girls. The peak year was 1955 with 50,563 births.
When was Debra most popular? ▼
Debra was most popular in the 1950s decade with 341,348 total births. The single peak year was 1955.
Where is Debra most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Debra are California (44,156 births), New York (39,520 births), Illinois (33,935 births).
How long has the name Debra been used? ▼
Debra has been recorded in Social Security data since 1914, spanning 112 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Debra? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Deborah, Debbie, Debora, Debby, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- 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 Debra
Nearby Names Like Debra
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Debra
Deborah Girl
#853 742,820 births
Debbie Girl
#4566 187,853 births
Debora Girl
#2122 30,133 births
Debby Girl
9,697 births
Debrah Girl
4,404 births
Compare Debra side by side: Debra vs Deborah Debra vs Debbie Debra vs Debora
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Debra
Evelynne #3580
1,491 births · Peak 2018
Juna #3582
1,039 births · Peak 2025
Griselda #3579
9,124 births · Peak 1993
Emalyn #3583
1,873 births · Peak 2015
Snow #3578
1,066 births · Peak 2014
Gwenevere #3584
1,199 births · Peak 2019
Elvia #3577
7,680 births · Peak 1991
Bayla #3585
1,066 births · Peak 2014
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, 1914–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Debra: #3581 Girls' Name - 550,695 Births, Peak 1955." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/debra. 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 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 June 2026.