Hephzibah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "my delight is in her".
Name Census estimates that about 141 living Americans carry the first name Hephzibah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hephzibah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hephzibah births was 2012 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hephzibah. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Hephzibah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
141
~ 1 in 2,430,882 Americans
Peak year
2012
10 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,445
Tracked since 2001
Census
Hephzibah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 227 people with the first name Hephzibah, which placed it at #35,437 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#35,437
National first-name rank
People counted
227
227 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
47.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hephzibah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hephzibah is Black at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (22.5%) and White (15.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hephzibah described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hephzibah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.1% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander22.5% · 51
- White15.4% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 24
- Two or more races4.4% · 10
Popularity
Hephzibah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hephzibah 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 75 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hephzibah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hephzibah 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 Hephzibah 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 Hephzibah
The name Hephzibah has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, with roots dating back to the Old Testament era. It is derived from the Hebrew phrase "hephzi-bah," which means "my delight is in her." This name was often used to symbolize a deep affection and admiration for a cherished individual, particularly in the context of a divine-human relationship.
One of the earliest and most significant historical references to the name Hephzibah can be found in the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 62:4, the prophet speaks of Jerusalem being called "Hephzibah" as a symbolic representation of God's renewed favor and delight towards the city after a period of estrangement.
The name Hephzibah gained further prominence in the late 7th century BCE when it was bestowed upon the wife of King Hezekiah of Judah, as recorded in 2 Kings 21:1. This royal association added to the name's prestige and may have contributed to its continued use among the ancient Israelites.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hephzibah. One of the earliest recorded examples is Hephzibah, the mother of the ancient Jewish scholar and philosopher Philo of Alexandria, who lived from approximately 20 BCE to 50 CE.
Another significant figure was Hephzibah Mendes, a Jewish woman born in England in 1667. She became widely known for her philanthropic efforts, particularly in supporting the education of underprivileged children and the establishment of charitable institutions.
In the 18th century, Hephzibah Rawnsley (1735-1825) was a prominent English Quaker and writer who advocated for women's rights and social reforms. Her contributions to literature and activism made her a notable figure during her time.
Hephzibah Cookson (1779-1823) was an English Quaker minister and writer who played a significant role in the abolitionist movement, advocating for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.
Lastly, Hephzibah Jenkins (1825-1900) was an American educator and missionary who dedicated her life to establishing schools and promoting education among Native American communities in the United States.
These historical figures, spanning different eras and regions, exemplify the enduring legacy of the name Hephzibah and its association with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields and causes.
People
Hephzibah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hephzibah 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
Hephzibah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hephzibah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 141 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hephzibah 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 2,430,882 US residents.
Is Hephzibah a common name?
We classify Hephzibah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 142 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hephzibah most popular?
The single biggest year for Hephzibah was 2012, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hephzibah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hephzibah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 227 people with the name Hephzibah, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,437 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hephzibah in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hephzibah?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Hephzibah leans strongly female. 220 people counted with this name were female (95.2%), compared with 11 male bearers (4.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hephzibah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hephzibah is Black at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (22.5%) and White (15.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hephzibah most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Hephzibah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.1% (107 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Hephzibah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hephzibah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hephzibah 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 Hephzibah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hephzibah 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 Hephzibah 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.
How many people share the name Hephzibah?
Find out how many Americans are named Hephzibah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.