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