Deborah vs Sumayyah
Deborah and Sumayyahcompared 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 Sumayyah #497 among girls in England and Wales.
Deborah and Sumayyah over time
Deborah and Sumayyah appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Sumayyah held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Deborah in 0.
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 Sumayyah 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Deborah and Sumayyah changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #708 and #497.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Deborah held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Sumayyah in 16.
Highest recorded here: Deborah #302 in 1996, Sumayyah #398 in 2003.
The order changed in 2012: Sumayyah moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #502 and #557; by 2012 that had become #587 and #516.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Deborah #708, Sumayyah #497.
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 | Sumayyah |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #429 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #497 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Deborah has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Sumayyah does not have one recorded yet.
- Deborah has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Sumayyah.
- A meaning is recorded for Deborah; Sumayyah doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
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
Sumayyah
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #891 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #398 among girls in England and Wales, in 2003 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #497 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls