Deborah vs Olive
Deborah and Olivecompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Deborah was ranked #708 and Olive #53 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Deborah was ranked #790 and Olive #106 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Deborah was ranked #608 and Olive #247 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Deborah and Olive over time
Deborah and Olive appear together in 2 published lists, across 84 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
Deborah and Olive changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2025, ending at #608 and #247.
- Mirrored each other
Over 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Olive rose about as far as Deborah fell — from #302 and #1646 in 1996 to #708 and #53 in 2024.
- Longest-running competitions
Deborah and Olive were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 55 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #608 and #247.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1964 they stood at #76 and #72 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 4 places apart; by 2025 they were #608 and #247.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls55 shared years, 1964–2025
Deborah held the stronger position in 41 of those years, Olive in 12.
Highest recorded here: Deborah #38 in 1981, Olive #34 in 1975.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Deborah #608, Olive #247.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Deborah held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Olive in 16.
Highest recorded here: Deborah #302 in 1996, Olive #53 in 2024.
The order changed in 2009: Olive moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #393 and #445; by 2009 that had become #469 and #428.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Deborah #708, Olive #53.
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 | Deborah | Olive |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | From Hebrew, meaning 'bee'. In the biblical Book of Judges, Deborah was a prophetess who led the Israelites against Canaanite forces. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɛb.ə.ɹə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #429 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #68 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Deborah has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Olive does not have one recorded yet.
- Deborah and Olive both have 3 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Deborah; Olive doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Deborah
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #51 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 recorded1952–1980
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1957 (recorded 1952–1980).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #429 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Olive
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #72 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded2010–2023
Highest recorded position: #21 among girls in New Zealand, in 2022 (recorded 2010–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #68 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls