Deborah is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning "bee." In the Bible, Deborah was a prophetess and judge in ancient Israel who led her people to victory against their enemies. The name has been popular among Jewish families for centuries but gained widespread recognition in the English-speaking world thanks to the works of famous authors like Charlotte Brontë and George Eliot, who used it as characters' names in their novels. Today, Deborah remains a unique yet timeless choice for parents looking for a meaningful and distinctive name for their daughters.
The statistics provided illustrate the birth trend of the name Deborah in the United States over a span of nearly 140 years, from 1880 to 2022.
In the late 19th century, the name Deborah experienced modest popularity with fewer than 30 births per year between 1880 and 1899. However, in the early 20th century, there was a notable increase in its usage, with over 40 births annually from 1905 onwards.
The name's popularity peaked during World War II and immediately afterwards, with an all-time high of 1462 births recorded in 1945. This can be attributed to the baby boom that followed the war. The peak popularity continued into the early 1950s, with over 50,000 births each year between 1951 and 1953.
However, starting from the mid-1950s, the popularity of the name Deborah began to decline steadily. By the late 1960s, annual births had fallen below 20,000, a significant drop from the peak years. This downward trend continued into the 1970s and 1980s, with fewer than 3,000 births per year recorded in most of these decades.
In recent years, the name Deborah has maintained some level of popularity but remains far less common than it was during its peak years. Between 2000 and 2022, annual births ranged from a low of 264 in 2023 to a high of 546 in 2000.
Overall, the name Deborah has experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the past century and a half. While it was quite popular during certain periods, particularly around World War II, its usage has generally declined since the mid-20th century. Despite this decline, the name continues to be used today, albeit less frequently than in years past.