| Deirdre | Nora | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Sorrowful | Honour; light |
| Origin | Irish | Irish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | DEER-druh | NOR-uh |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1921 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1961 (799) | 2025 (6,380) |
| In 2025 | 13 | 6,380 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Deirdre | Nora |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 85 | 36,567 |
| 2010s | 206 | 44,076 |
| 2000s | 544 | 10,922 |
| 1990s | 1,206 | 5,532 |
| 1980s | 2,049 | 5,532 |
| 1970s | 3,123 | 5,770 |
| 1960s | 6,321 | 9,521 |
| 1950s | 2,274 | 11,540 |
| 1940s | 822 | 9,405 |
| 1930s | 167 | 8,926 |
| 1920s | 48 | 12,298 |
| 1910s | 0 | 11,063 |
| 1900s | 0 | 7,172 |
| 1890s | 0 | 8,293 |
| 1880s | 0 | 6,521 |
Deirdre is usually read “sorrowful”; she is a tragic heroine of Irish legend.
Nora is a short form of names such as Eleanor and Honora (from the Latin honor). Long popular in Ireland, it has become a widespread vintage revival.
Nora is more popular than Deirdre today: about 6,380 US babies were given the name Nora in 2025, compared with 13 named Deirdre.
Deirdre means Sorrowful (Irish origin), while Nora means Honour; light (Irish origin).
In US records, Deirdre first appears in 1921 and Nora in 1880, so Nora has the longer recorded history.