Alyson vs Debra

Alyson and Debracompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2002, Alyson was ranked #443 and Debra #620 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2022, Alyson was ranked #3970 and Debra #5669 among girls in England and Wales.

Alyson and Debra over time

Alyson and Debra appear together in 2 published lists, across 27 years of shared records. Debra held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Alyson in 0.

The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

Debra reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Alyson in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

List by list

Republic of Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 1968–2002
Alyson held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Debra in 14.
Highest recorded here: Alyson #350 in 1994, Debra #233 in 1985.
The order changed in 1994: Alyson moved ahead. In 1993 they stood at #516 and #340; by 1994 that had become #350 and #411.
Most recent shared year, 2002: Alyson #443, Debra #620.
England and Wales · Girls9 shared years, 1996–2022
Alyson held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Debra in 4.
Highest recorded here: Alyson #1755 in 1996, Debra #1364 in 1996.
The order changed in 2022: Alyson moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #4688 and #4688; by 2022 that had become #3970 and #5669.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Alyson #3970, Debra #5669.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Debra

Pairs where Debra shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Jennifer vs Debra
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Jennifer #1 in 1956, Debra #6 in 1958.
Jennifer · Debra · 20 shared years, 1953–1973 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1958 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Karen vs Debra
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Karen #1 in 1957, Debra #17 in 1959.
Karen · Debra · 19 shared years, 1955–1973 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1959 New Zealand ranking
Donna vs Debra
In 1961, Donna moved ahead of Debra in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #12 and #7 the year before became #6 and #18.
Donna · Debra · 20 shared years, 1953–1973 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1961 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Debra vs Vicki
Across 20 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Debra and Vicki averaged 11.8 places apart, ending at #99 and #74.
Debra · Vicki · 20 shared years, 1953–1973 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1973 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Alyson, Debra
Field	Alyson	Debra
Record type	Official statistical record (evidence-only)	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	female	female
Meaning	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Origin	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Syllables	3	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ
Most recent popularity observation	England and Wales · Girls #4709 (2023)	England and Wales · Girls #5891 (2024)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	88/100	94/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Alyson has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Debra.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Alyson

Popularity journey

First recorded1968
First recorded at #401 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1968–2021
Highest recorded position: #300 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1989 (recorded 1968–2021).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #4709 among girls in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Girls

Debra

Popularity journey

First recorded1953
First recorded at #75 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1953–1973
Highest recorded position: #6 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1958 (recorded 1953–1973).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls