Jezebel
An English feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "non-cohabitant", or "not my husband's".
Name Census estimates that about 765 living Americans carry the first name Jezebel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jezebel today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jezebel births was 2007 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jezebel. 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
765
~ 1 in 448,045 Americans
Peak year
2007
47 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,200
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Jezebel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jezebel from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 290 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jezebel 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 Jezebel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jezebels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Jezebel, while Florida, New York, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 74 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jezebel
The name Jezebel originates from the Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew words '?????z?????e????el', which translates to 'non-cohabited' or 'the non-husband's portion'. The name dates back to the 9th century BCE and was initially associated with the Phoenician princess Jezebel, who married Ahab, the king of Israel.
Jezebel is a prominent figure in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Books of Kings. She is portrayed as a powerful and influential queen who introduced the worship of the Phoenician god Baal to the kingdom of Israel. Her actions were viewed as idolatrous and in opposition to the worship of the Hebrew God, leading to her eventual downfall.
In the biblical narrative, Jezebel is depicted as a cruel and vengeful woman who persecuted the prophets of God and was ultimately thrown from a window and killed. Her death is described in graphic detail, and her name has since become associated with wickedness, immorality, and promiscuity.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jezebel is found in the Hebrew Bible, referring to the Phoenician princess mentioned earlier. Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore this name.
1. Jezebel (9th century BCE), the Phoenician princess and wife of King Ahab of Israel, as mentioned in the Books of Kings.
2. Jezebel of Judah (6th century BCE), a Jewish woman who lived during the Babylonian captivity and is mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah.
3. Jezebel Torry (1719-1768), an English actress and playwright who was known for her controversial plays and scandalous personal life.
4. Jezebel Gillespie (1835-1917), an American teacher and author who wrote several books on the education of women and children.
5. Jezebel Pereira (1892-1971), a Brazilian writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the feminist movement in Brazil.
While the name Jezebel has its roots in biblical history and carries negative connotations, it has also been used by various individuals throughout the centuries, often as a symbol of rebellion against societal norms and a desire for independence and self-expression.
People
Jezebel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jezebel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jezebel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jezebel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 765 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jezebel 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 448,045 US residents.
Is Jezebel a common name?
We classify Jezebel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 778 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jezebel most popular?
The single biggest year for Jezebel was 2007, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jezebel is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jezebel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jezebel 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.