Havilah
A feminine name of Biblical origin meaning "sandy region" or "circle of sand".
Name Census estimates that about 643 living Americans carry the first name Havilah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Havilah today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Havilah births was 2024 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Havilah. 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
643
~ 1 in 533,055 Americans
Peak year
2024
35 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,130
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Havilah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Havilah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 221 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Havilah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Havilah 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 Havilah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Havilahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Havilah
The name Havilah has its origins in ancient Hebrew and is mentioned in the Bible. It is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word "havil," which means "circular" or "enclosed." This could suggest that the name was originally associated with a particular geographical region or area.
In the Book of Genesis, Havilah is mentioned as the name of a region that was known for its rich natural resources, including gold, bdellium, and precious stones. This region is described as being located in the area that is now known as the Arabian Peninsula.
The earliest recorded use of the name Havilah is found in the Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of one of the sons of Cush, who was the son of Ham and the grandson of Noah. This would place the origin of the name sometime around the period after the Great Flood, as described in the Book of Genesis.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Havilah. One of the earliest examples is Havilah, the son of Cush, who is mentioned in the Bible. Another notable figure is Havilah Babcock (1775-1864), an American judge and politician who served as the Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
In the 17th century, there was a Puritan woman named Havilah Wilkins (1628-1687), who was one of the first English settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She is notable for being one of the first women to give birth in the colony.
Another historical figure with the name Havilah was Havilah Le Mesurier (1758-1806), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became the Governor of Alderney, one of the Channel Islands.
In the 19th century, there was an American author and poet named Havilah Beardsley (1839-1900), who was known for her works of fiction and poetry that often dealt with themes related to nature and rural life.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Havilah, which has its roots in ancient Hebrew and is associated with a particular region mentioned in the Bible.
People
Havilah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Havilah 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
Havilah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Havilah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 643 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Havilah 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 533,055 US residents.
Is Havilah a common name?
We classify Havilah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 657 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Havilah most popular?
The single biggest year for Havilah was 2024, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Havilah is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Havilah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Havilah 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.
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.