Cathy vs Debra

Cathy 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.

New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 1965, Cathy was ranked #92 and Debra #34 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2004, Cathy was ranked #340 and Debra #677 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2008, Cathy was ranked #4524 and Debra #5545 among girls in England and Wales.

Cathy and Debra over time

Cathy and Debra appear together in 2 published lists, across 41 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.

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 Cathy 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.

How this pair is related

The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.

Longest-running competitions
Cathy and Debra were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 31 years, from 1964 to 2004, ending at #340 and #677.
Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Cathy #1755 in 1996, Debra #1364 in 1996.

List by list

Republic of Ireland · Girls31 shared years, 1964–2004
Cathy held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Debra in 6.
Highest recorded here: Cathy #168 in 1986, Debra #230 in 1970.
The order changed in 1973: Cathy moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #332 and #276; by 1973 that had become #254 and #271.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Cathy #340, Debra #677.
England and Wales · Girls10 shared years, 1996–2008
Cathy held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Debra in 7.
Highest recorded here: Cathy #1755 in 1996, Debra #1364 in 1996.
The order changed in 2008: Cathy moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #5061 and #4157; by 2008 that had become #4524 and #5545.
Most recent shared year, 2008: Cathy #4524, Debra #5545.

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 Cathy, Debra
Field	Cathy	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	2	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ
Most recent popularity observation	Republic of Ireland · Girls #873 (2017)	England and Wales · Girls #5891 (2024)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	94/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Cathy and Debra both have 2 syllables.
Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Cathy

Popularity journey

First recorded1960
First recorded at #96 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1960 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1960–1965
Highest recorded position: #92 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1965 (recorded 1960–1965).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2017
Most recently recorded at #873 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2017.
Republic of Ireland · 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