Debra vs Lara
Debra and Laracompared 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, Debra was ranked #5891 and Lara #98 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2004, Debra was ranked #677 and Lara #104 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Debra and Lara over time
Debra and Lara appear together in 2 published lists, across 44 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.
Debra reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Lara 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
Debra and Lara changed places 9 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1968 and 2004, ending at #677 and #104.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls29 shared years, 1968–2004
Debra held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Lara in 5.
Highest recorded here: Debra #230 in 1970, Lara #80 in 2002.
The order changed in 1997: Lara moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #411 and #450; by 1997 that had become #576 and #235.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Debra #677, Lara #104.
England and Wales · Girls15 shared years, 1996–2024
Debra held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Lara in 15.
Highest recorded here: Debra #1364 in 1996, Lara #85 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Debra #5891, Lara #98.
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 | Debra | Lara |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #5891 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #102 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Debra and Lara both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
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
Lara
Popularity journey
First recorded1968
First recorded at #553 among girls in Norway in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1999–2023
Highest recorded position: #25 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2002 (recorded 1999–2023).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #144 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls