How Many People Are Named Deborah?
An estimated 544,971 people in the United States have the first name Deborah. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #75 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 66 years old, and Deborah peaked in popularity in 1954 with 54,755 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Cynthia (542,980).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Deborah as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Deborah paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Deborah is overwhelmingly female, 1,658 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 66, Deborah is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1970.
- Deborah has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
544,971
About 1 in 629 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.8% confidence
Average Age
66
years old
Peak Year
1954
54,755 births
Total Registered
744,162
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Deborah
Deborah is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 744,162 total births registered, 99.8% were female.
Deborah as a male name
Ranked #8,411 in 1990
5 male births in 1990
Peak: 1955 (100 births)
Deborah as a female name
Ranked #852 in 2024
316 female births in 2024
Peak: 1954 (54,675 births)
Deborah: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Deborah span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 431,329 babies were registered. Deborah has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Deborah by Decade
How has Deborah tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 143 | 0 | 143 | |
| 1890s | 183 | 0 | 183 | |
| 1900s | 226 | 0 | 226 | |
| 1910s | 651 | 0 | 651 | |
| 1920s | 1,070 | 0 | 1,070 | |
| 1930s | 2,814 | 6 | 2,808 | |
| 1940s | 44,141 | 86 | 44,055 | |
| 1950s | 431,329 | 788 | 430,541 | |
| 1960s | 183,924 | 492 | 183,432 | |
| 1970s | 48,071 | 215 | 47,856 | |
| 1980s | 14,849 | 66 | 14,783 | |
| 1990s | 7,580 | 5 | 7,575 | |
| 2000s | 4,284 | 0 | 4,284 | |
| 2010s | 3,428 | 0 | 3,428 | |
| 2020s | 1,469 | 0 | 1,469 | |
Deborah by State
Birth registrations for Deborah span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, California, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in Wyoming, Nevada, Alaska. On average, about 14,489 Deborahs were registered per state.
Deborah + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Deborah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Deborah
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Deborah: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deborah?
We estimate approximately 544,971 people named Deborah are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 629 Americans share this first name.
Is Deborah a common name?
Deborah is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 744,162 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Deborah most popular?
Deborah reached peak popularity in 1954, when 54,755 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Deborah is approximately 66 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Deborah a female name?
Deborah is predominantly female. 99.8% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Deborah Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Deborah Smith, Deborah Johnson, Deborah Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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