Meaning and background
The story behind Deborah
Deborah is a biblical Hebrew personal name meaning bee. The Old Testament’s Deborah appears as a prophet and judge, an historical literary context distinct from the word’s literal meaning. English speakers most often give the name three syllables, though forms vary between languages. As a dog name, Deborah feels formal beside its everyday short forms Debbie and Debby.
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Everyday moments“Deborah, come here!”
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About Deborah
Recorded as a dog’s name
Deborah appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/dɛbɚə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
Other dictionary readings and notation
/dɛbɚə/ · primary stress on syllable 1D EH1 B ER0 AH0
/dɛbɹə/ · primary stress on syllable 1D EH1 B R AH0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Dictionary readings have 2 or 3 syllables.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.