Havah
An ancient Hebrew name meaning "life" or "life-giver".
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the first name Havah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Havah today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Havah births was 2010 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Havah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
128
~ 1 in 2,677,768 Americans
Peak year
2010
14 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,782
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Havah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Havah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 54 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Havah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Havah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Havah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Havah
The name Havah is believed to have originated from the Hebrew language, and it is closely related to the name Eve, which is derived from the Hebrew word "Chawwah" or "Chavah." This name is deeply rooted in religious and cultural traditions, particularly in Judaism and Christianity.
According to the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, Havah (or Eve) was the first woman created by God and was the wife of Adam, the first man. The name is often interpreted to mean "life-giver" or "source of life," reflecting her role as the mother of all humankind.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Havah can be found in the Hebrew Bible, where it is mentioned multiple times in the Book of Genesis. Additionally, the name appears in various ancient Jewish and Christian texts, further solidifying its historical significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Havah. One such person was Havah Stitelman (1900-1964), a Polish-born American actress and comedian who performed in Yiddish theater productions during the early 20th century.
Another prominent figure was Havah Raban (1914-2009), an Israeli politician and feminist activist who served as a member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) and played a crucial role in advocating for women's rights and social welfare in Israel.
In the literary world, Havah Shekhter (1927-2017) was a renowned Yiddish poet and author from Poland, whose works explored themes of identity, memory, and the Holocaust experience.
Havah Allush (born 1963) is a contemporary Israeli author and playwright, known for her works that delve into the lives and experiences of Mizrahi Jews in Israel.
Lastly, Havah Steinreich (1894-1942) was a Polish-Jewish educator and activist who fought for the rights of Jewish children and women during the Holocaust. She perished in the Treblinka extermination camp, but her legacy as a champion of education and human rights lives on.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Havah throughout history, each making their own unique contributions to various fields and leaving a lasting impact on their respective communities.
People
Havah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Havah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Havah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Havah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 128 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Havah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,677,768 US residents.
Is Havah a common name?
We classify Havah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 129 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Havah most popular?
The single biggest year for Havah was 2010, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Havah is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Havah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Havah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Havah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Havah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Havah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Havah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Havah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.