Judea
Region of ancient Palestine with its associations with Jewish heritage.
Name Census estimates that about 605 living Americans carry the first name Judea. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Judea today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Judea births was 2024 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Judea. 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
605
~ 1 in 566,536 Americans
Peak year
2024
36 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,697
Tracked since 1984
Gender
Gender distribution for Judea
Judea is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 613 total registrations, 145 (23.7%) were male and 468 (76.3%) were female.
Judea as a male name
- Ranked #10,328 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (12 births)
Judea as a female name
- Ranked #4,697 in 2024
- 29 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (29 births)
Popularity
Judea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Judea from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 202 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Judea remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Judea 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 Judea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Judeas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Judea
The name Judea has its origins in the ancient Judahite kingdom, a region located in the central part of the ancient Levant. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "Yehudah," which means "praised" or "thanksgiving." It is believed to have been in use as early as the 8th century BCE.
In the Hebrew Bible, Judea is mentioned as the territory occupied by the tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The name is closely associated with the biblical figure of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. According to the book of Genesis, Judah played a pivotal role in the story of Joseph and his brothers.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Judea was Judea Hasmodeus, a Jewish priest and leader of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. The Maccabean Revolt resulted in the establishment of an independent Jewish kingdom, the Hasmonean Dynasty, which ruled over Judea until 63 BCE.
In the 1st century CE, Judea was a Roman province that encompassed parts of modern-day Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan. During this time, the name Judea was associated with several notable figures, including Judea Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, who betrayed him according to the New Testament.
Another prominent figure with the name Judea was Judea ben Tabbai, a Jewish sage and leader of the Sanhedrin (the highest court of Jewish law) in the 1st century CE. He is remembered for his wisdom and teachings on ethics and morality.
In the Middle Ages, the name Judea was used by several Jewish scholars and rabbis, such as Judea Halevi, a renowned Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet who lived in the 12th century CE. His works, including the philosophical treatise "The Kuzari," had a significant impact on Jewish thought and literature.
Judea Abravanel, a prominent Jewish scholar and statesman from Portugal, who lived in the 15th century CE, also bore this name. He was known for his contributions to Jewish philosophy and his role in negotiating the safe passage of Jews expelled from Spain during the Inquisition.
Throughout history, the name Judea has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and cultures, reflecting its deep roots in the ancient world and its enduring significance in religious and historical contexts.
People
Judea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Judea 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
Judea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Judea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 605 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Judea 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 566,536 US residents.
Is Judea a common name?
We classify Judea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 613 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Judea most popular?
The single biggest year for Judea was 2024, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Judea is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Judea a female name?
Yes, 76.3% of people registered as Judea 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.