Debbie vs Marilyn
Debbie and Marilyncompared 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 2018, Debbie was ranked #896 and Marilyn #629 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Debbie was ranked #2771 and Marilyn #1541 among girls in England and Wales.
Debbie and Marilyn over time
Debbie and Marilyn appear together in 2 published lists, across 39 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Debbie and Marilyn changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #2771 and #1541.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls26 shared years, 1996–2024
Debbie held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Marilyn in 14.
Highest recorded here: Debbie #571 in 1996, Marilyn #1541 in 2024.
The order changed in 2019: Marilyn moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #2499 and #2674; by 2019 that had become #4686 and #2040.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Debbie #2771, Marilyn #1541.
Republic of Ireland · Girls13 shared years, 1970–2018
Debbie held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Marilyn in 3.
Highest recorded here: Debbie #251 in 1981, Marilyn #379 in 1975.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Debbie #896, Marilyn #629.
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.
Side by side
| Field | Debbie | Marilyn |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2771 (2024) | England and Wales · Girls #1541 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Debbie has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Marilyn.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Debbie
Popularity journey
First recorded1957
First recorded at #63 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1957 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1957–1975
Highest recorded position: #31 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1959 (recorded 1957–1975).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2771 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Marilyn
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #28 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1956
Highest recorded position: #19 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1953 (recorded 1952–1956).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1541 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls