Ittai
An Arabic masculine name meaning "obedient one" or "allied, attached".
Name Census estimates that about 28 living Americans carry the first name Ittai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ittai today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ittai births was 2009 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ittai. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ittai. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
28
~ 1 in 12,241,226 Americans
Peak year
2009
8 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,987
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Ittai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ittai from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 13 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Ittai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ittai 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 Ittai 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 Ittai
The given name Ittai has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew word "ittay," meaning "near" or "beside." The name can also be interpreted as "my sign" or "my token."
In the Hebrew Bible, Ittai is mentioned as a Philistine warrior from the city of Gath. He was one of King David's loyal companions and fought alongside him during the rebellion led by David's son Absalom. Ittai's unwavering loyalty to David is recorded in 2 Samuel 15:19-22, where he declares his intention to follow the king, even in exile.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ittai was Ittai the Gittite, a Philistine warrior who lived around 1000 BCE. He is remembered for his loyalty to King David and is often regarded as a symbol of faithfulness in Jewish tradition.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ittai. One of the most famous was Ittai ben Ribat (1322-1366), a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher from Spain. He was a leading figure in the intellectual circles of his time and authored works on Jewish law and philosophy.
Another notable Ittai was Ittai Weinryb (1887-1943), a Zionist leader and one of the founders of the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement in Poland. He played a significant role in promoting the ideals of Labor Zionism and the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
In the realm of literature, Ittai Mendel-Friedman (1924-2013) was a renowned Israeli author and playwright. His works explored themes of identity, memory, and the complexities of human relationships. He was awarded the prestigious Israel Prize for Literature in 1996.
Ittai Stern (born 1985) is a contemporary Israeli entrepreneur and co-founder of the successful startup company Mobiroll. He has been recognized for his contributions to the technology industry and was named one of Forbes' "30 Under 30" in 2017.
While the name Ittai has its roots in ancient Hebrew culture, it has transcended its origins and has been adopted by individuals across various communities and time periods. Its enduring presence throughout history serves as a testament to the cultural significance and resonance of this name.
People
Ittai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ittai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ittai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ittai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 28 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ittai 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 12,241,226 US residents.
Is Ittai a common name?
We classify Ittai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 45.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 28 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ittai most popular?
The single biggest year for Ittai was 2009, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ittai is about 11 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 Ittai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ittai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ittai in the SSA data are male. 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 Ittai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ittai 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 Ittai 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 are named Ittai?
Find out how many people have the name Ittai on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.