If
Deborah is such a disliked name, it's a prime example of a name that's disliked only because it's dated. People hear it, think "Mom/Grandma", don't think any further, and dislike it. The way I automatically disliked
Hazel when I was in my teens and twenties.
I love
Deborah. I'm not good at coming up with words to describe why I like a name. I just love the way
Deborah looks and sounds. But I wouldn't have used it because I wouldn't have wanted my daughter to have a dated name all of her life.
I think
Deborah is a dated name we can say with certainty will come back some day.
I hate the spelling
Debra, and that was just as popular as
Deborah back in the name's heyday. Let's hope
that doesn't come back.