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- people in the U.S. have this name Get contact details for people named Deborah White
Meaning & Origins
Biblical name (meaning ‘bee’ in Hebrew), borne by the nurse of Rebecca (Genesis 35:8) and by a woman judge and prophet (Judges 4–5) who led the Israelites to victory over the Canaanites. It has always been popular as a Jewish name. It was in use among Christians by the mid 16th century and was taken up by the Puritans in the 17th century, in part because the bee was a symbol of industriousness. Since then it has enjoyed enormous popularity, peaking in the 1960s. Among other famous bearers is the actress Deborah Kerr (1921–2007).
| 46th in the U.S. for 2011 |
English, Scottish, and Irish: from Middle English whit ‘white’, hence a nickname for someone with white hair or an unnaturally pale complexion. In some cases it represents a Middle English personal name, from an Old English byname, Hwīt(a), of this origin. As a Scottish and Irish surname it has been widely used as a translation of the many Gaelic names based on bán ‘white’ (see Bain 1) or fionn ‘fair’ (see Finn 1). There has also been some confusion with Wight.
| 19th in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Debora, Deborrah, Debra, Deborha, Deborra, Deborh, Deboraha, Deboria, Deboer, Deborahh
Whitaker, Whitehead, Whitney, Whitfield, Whitley, Whitman, Whittaker, Whittington, Whitlock, Whiting
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U.S. Distribution Map
