Debra vs Philomena

Debra and Philomenacompared 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 1997, Debra was ranked #576 and Philomena #263 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Debra was ranked #5891 and Philomena #4843 among girls in England and Wales.

Debra and Philomena over time

Debra and Philomena appear together in 2 published lists, across 45 years of shared records. Philomena held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Debra 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.

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.

Longest-running competitions
Debra and Philomena were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 31 years, from 1964 to 1997, ending at #576 and #263.

List by list

Republic of Ireland · Girls31 shared years, 1964–1997
Debra held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Philomena in 31.
Highest recorded here: Debra #230 in 1970, Philomena #72 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1997: Debra #576, Philomena #263.
England and Wales · Girls14 shared years, 1996–2024
Debra held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Philomena in 9.
Highest recorded here: Debra #1364 in 1996, Philomena #1658 in 2002.
The order changed in 2006: Philomena moved ahead. In 2005 they stood at #3099 and #4373; by 2006 that had become #4157 and #1983.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Debra #5891, Philomena #4843.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Debra

Pairs where Debra shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Jennifer vs Debra
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Jennifer #1 in 1956, Debra #6 in 1958.
Jennifer · Debra · 20 shared years, 1953–1973 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1958 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Karen vs Debra
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Karen #1 in 1957, Debra #17 in 1959.
Karen · Debra · 19 shared years, 1955–1973 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1959 New Zealand ranking
Donna vs Debra
In 1961, Donna moved ahead of Debra in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #12 and #7 the year before became #6 and #18.
Donna · Debra · 20 shared years, 1953–1973 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1961 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Debra vs Vicki
Across 20 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Debra and Vicki averaged 11.8 places apart, ending at #99 and #74.
Debra · Vicki · 20 shared years, 1953–1973 · Closest over the longest run
See the 1973 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Debra, Philomena
Field	Debra	Philomena
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	Not yet recorded
Syllables	2	4
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NZ	GB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observation	England and Wales · Girls #5891 (2024)	Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	94/100	70/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	60/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Debra has 2 syllables, compared with 4 for Philomena.
Both names have recorded usage in 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

Philomena

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 recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #72 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls