Deborah vs Ruta
Deborah and Rutacompared 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.
Norway · Girls
In 1996, Deborah was ranked #627 and Ruta #457 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2020, Deborah was ranked #941 and Ruta #5493 among girls in England and Wales.
Deborah and Ruta over time
Deborah and Ruta appear together in 2 published lists, across 18 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.
Deborah reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Ruta 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Deborah #405 in 2001, Ruta #3998 in 2001.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls10 shared years, 2001–2020
Deborah held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Ruta in 0.
Highest recorded here: Deborah #405 in 2001, Ruta #3998 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Deborah #941, Ruta #5493.
Norway · Girls8 shared years, 1973–1996
Deborah held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Ruta in 7.
Highest recorded here: Deborah #443 in 1973, Ruta #297 in 1987.
The order changed in 1975: Ruta moved ahead. In 1974 they stood at #443 and #605; by 1975 that had become #587 and #312.
Most recent shared year, 1996: Deborah #627, Ruta #457.
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 | Ruta |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #429 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5493 (2020) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Deborah has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Ruta does not have one recorded yet.
- Deborah has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Ruta.
- A meaning is recorded for Deborah; Ruta doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
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
Ruta
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #580 among girls in Norway in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1969–2013
Highest recorded position: #280 among girls in Norway, in 1990 (recorded 1969–2013).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2020
Most recently recorded at #5493 among girls in England and Wales, in 2020.
England and Wales · Girls