Debara
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Deborah.
Name Census estimates that about 241 living Americans carry the first name Debara. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Debara today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Debara births was 1956 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Debara. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Debara is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Debaras were born before 1968.
People living today
241
~ 1 in 1,422,217 Americans
Peak year
1956
37 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1974 SSA rank
#7,055
Tracked since 1947
Census
Debara in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 283 people with the first name Debara, which placed it at #30,644 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#30,644
National first-name rank
People counted
283
283 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Debara
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Debara is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Debara described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Debara at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 225
- Black or African American13.4% · 38
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 9
- Two or more races2.1% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Popularity
Debara: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Debara from the 1940s through to the 1970s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 197 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Debara by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Debara during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Debaras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Debara
The name Debara is believed to have its roots in the Hebrew language, originating in ancient times. It is a variation of the more common name Deborah, which is derived from the Hebrew word "devorah," meaning "bee." This name has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in Jewish and Christian traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deborah can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. In the Book of Judges, Deborah is depicted as a prophetess and a judge who played a crucial role in leading the Israelites to victory against the Canaanites. Her story is celebrated as a testament to her wisdom, courage, and leadership.
Throughout history, the name Debara and its variations have been borne by several notable figures. One of the most famous was Deborah Sampson (1760-1827), an American woman who disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War. Her bravery and determination earned her recognition as the "Female Revolutionary War Soldier."
Another prominent figure was Deborah Kerr (1921-2007), a Scottish actress renowned for her performances in classic films such as "The King and I" and "From Here to Eternity." Her talent and versatility made her an icon of the golden age of Hollywood.
In the realm of literature, Deborah Moggach (born 1948) is a British novelist and screenwriter known for her critically acclaimed works, including "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and its sequel.
The name Debara has also been associated with the world of science. Deborah Estrin (born 1959) is an American computer scientist and professor who has made significant contributions to the field of network computing and sensor networks.
Deborah Tannen (born 1945) is an American academic and author who has written extensively on linguistics and interpersonal communication, particularly on the differences in communication styles between men and women.
While the name Debara may not be as common as its root name Deborah, it has a rich history and has been borne by remarkable individuals across various fields and cultures. Its association with strength, wisdom, and leadership has made it a name with enduring appeal.
People
Debara + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Debara as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Debara: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Debara?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 241 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Debara going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,422,217 US residents.
Is Debara a common name?
We classify Debara as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 334 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Debara most popular?
The single biggest year for Debara was 1956, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Debara is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Debara in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 283 people with the name Debara, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,644 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Debara in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Debara?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Debara appears almost entirely female. Of the 277 people counted with this name, 99.3% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Debara?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Debara is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Debara most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Debara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (225 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Debara in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Debara a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Debara in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Debara still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Debara in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Debara can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Debara?
See how many people have the name Debara on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.