Debra

Debra: a compact form of Deborah

Debra is a spelling variant of Deborah and shares its Hebrew meaning, “bee.” The older Hebrew form is Devorah. English Debra makes the familiar two-syllable pronunciation especially clear in writing: DEB-ruh, with stress on the first syllable.

The name became an enormous American favorite in the 1950s. Its brief spelling belongs to the same family as the longer biblical Deborah, while Deb and Debbie offer familiar everyday alternatives. Actress Debra Winger supplies one of its best-known modern bearers.

The biblical Deborah family

Deborah is the prophet and leader in the Book of Judges who summons Barak to lead an army against the forces of the Canaanite commander Sisera. Her story gives this name family a substantial biblical association as well as its small, concrete animal meaning.

Another Deborah in the Old Testament was Rebecca’s nurse. These are different figures who share the same Hebrew name. The better-known judge and prophet supplies the principal narrative connection for many readers.

Deborah was long used in Jewish communities before becoming an English Christian name after the Protestant Reformation. Debra belongs to that older family, but its shorter spelling developed its own modern popularity. Devorah and Devora preserve the Hebrew consonant pattern more visibly, while Debra keeps the familiar English b.

Debra Winger on screen

Debra Winger received leading-actress Academy Award nominations for An Officer and a Gentleman, Terms of Endearment, and Shadowlands. The nominations were presented at the ceremonies in 1983, 1984, and 1994 respectively.

Those three titles connect her public name with a substantial period of American and British screen drama. The two consecutive nominations in the early 1980s were followed by another a decade later, keeping the full Debra visible in film credits and awards histories.

Winger’s spelling also provides a recognizable example of Debra as a complete professional name. It stands on its own rather than appearing only as an informal shortening of Deborah. For a reader interested in cinema, the association is with a specific actress and several distinct films.

Pronunciation and familiar forms

DEB-ruh begins with the short vowel heard in “bed.” The second syllable is light, and the final a has the relaxed sound common at the ends of English names. Deborah can share this two-syllable pronunciation, though it is also pronounced with three syllables.

Deb removes the final syllable, while Debbie and Debby give the name a light ee ending. The full Debra keeps the same stressed opening and offers a compact five-letter alternative within the family.

Popularity in the United States

Debra reached its largest annual American girls’ count in 1955, when 50,563 girls received the name. Its best rank followed in 1956, at number two. Those figures place it among the defining girls’ names of the mid-century baby boom.

It ranked 3,931 in 2015 and 4,477 in 2025. The modern decline is striking beside that earlier peak, but the name remains familiar through family histories, its established nicknames, and prominent bearers such as Winger.

How popular is Debra?

In 2025, Debra ranked #4,477 among girls in the United States, with 31 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1914; its largest annual count was 50,563 in 1955. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.