Updated October 2026
Single page list
English and Irish
"bee hive, little brook or bee cottage"
Beckett is one of the big baby name hits of the decade. A handsome name with an attractively brisk sound, and rich in literary associations via major Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, it is especially…
Hebrew
"bee"
Deborah has suffered from the fact that in the mid-twentieth century there were so many Debbies on the block that the beauty and meaning of the original name got lost. Deborah may no longer be among…
The Biblical name of a great prophet and judge who helped organize an army and effect a major victory over the Canaanites. Sounds much fresher than the Anglicized Deborah.
English, Irish
"bee hive; bee cottage; little brook"
A modern unisex update for Rebecca.
Both a biblical and an Israeli place-name, this can be used as an offbeat substitute for Deborah.
A worthy namesake is the martyred saint Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, whose story was the basis of the Anouilh play "Becket," which became a film starring Richard Burton and Peter…
Spelling variation of Deborah
When Deborah seemed too formal in the laid-back sixties, Debra stepped in as a pared-down alternative, but the pendulum is about to swing back.
Diminutive of Dove or Deborah, English, Hebrew
"dove; bee"
Dovie was a fairly popular nickname name a century or more ago, dropping off the Top 1000 in the 1940s only to be heading back uphill now. Given to around 30 girls in a recent year, Dovie has a way…
English diminutive of Deborah, Hebrew
The quintessential friendly fifties name, nearly epidemic in its day. Now many grownup Debbies have reverted to the full and lovely form of their name, which modern parents often avoid because of the…
Diminutive of Sabina and other -ina names, Yiddish or Hebrew
"bee or understanding"
Sources say that Bina, which is close to the word for bee in Yiddish, was once used as a translation for the Hebrew Deborah, which means bee. On its own, it also means "understanding" in Hebrew.…
Old English
"bee wolf"
This ancient name is that of the hero of the epic Beowulf , which is thought to be the oldest-ever poem in English lit written in the vernacular. J. R. R. Tolkien used the poem as one of his…
Basque
With the exception of Deborah, names are more often related to honey than to bees. This graceful name honors the bright and busy bee, making it perfect for that energetic little girl. Leia is an…
Mormon or Egyptian
"honeybee; bee crown or red crown"
A religious name unlikely to be heard outside of Utah. In the Book of Mormon, "deseret" means honeybee and signifies industry. Though some scholars propose that it actually stems from the Egyptian…
Diminutive of Abigail or Gobnait
"my father is joyful; honey bee"
Cutesy nickname Nabby has two possible origins — it has been used as a nickname for Biblical Abigail as seen with the daughter of former president and founding father John Adams, Abigail "Nabby"…
Irish
An Anglicized derivative of the Gaelic name Beatha, meaning "life," best known as the surname of Irish playwright Brendan Behan.
During the heyday of Deborah, Debra, and Debra — the late 1950s and early 60s — there were enough baby girls named Deb, just Deb, for it to make the Top 1000. Today, Deb is literally extinct for…
Greek, variation of Devra, Hebrew
Devri derived both as a variant of the Hebrew name Devra, related to Deborah, and as an independent Greek name. With Deborah and Debbie firmly in grandma territory, Devri would be a lovely and modern…
Diminutive of Deborah
Debbie is decidedly out, the original Deborah lovely, and other short forms -- Deb, Debs -- for occasional use only.