Shaddai
A Hebrew name meaning "Almighty" or "All-Sufficient One".
Name Census estimates that about 392 living Americans carry the first name Shaddai. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 73.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Shaddai today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaddai births was 2023 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaddai. 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
392
~ 1 in 874,373 Americans
Peak year
2023
53 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,938
Tracked since 1989
Gender
Gender distribution for Shaddai
Shaddai is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 396 total registrations, 107 (27.0%) were male and 289 (73.0%) were female.
Shaddai as a male name
- Ranked #9,699 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (18 births)
Shaddai as a female name
- Ranked #3,938 in 2024
- 38 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (38 births)
Popularity
Shaddai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaddai from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 170 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaddai 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 Shaddai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaddais live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaddai
The name Shaddai is derived from the Hebrew language and has its origins in ancient Semitic cultures. It is believed to have emerged during the early Bronze Age, around the third millennium BCE, in the region of Mesopotamia, which is now modern-day Iraq.
Shaddai is a name associated with the divine and is often considered a title or epithet for the Hebrew God. It is found in the Hebrew Bible, particularly in the Book of Job, where it is used to refer to the Almighty or the All-Powerful. The name is thought to be derived from the Hebrew word "shad," meaning "breast," symbolizing the nurturing and sustaining qualities of God.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Shaddai can be found in the Amarna letters, a collection of ancient Egyptian diplomatic correspondence dating back to the 14th century BCE. These letters mention a group called the Habiru, which some scholars believe may be a reference to the early Hebrews or their ancestors.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Shaddai. One of the earliest is Shaddai ben Joseph, a prominent Talmudic scholar who lived in the 2nd century CE. Another is Shaddai bar Abin, a Jewish Babylonian scholar from the 4th century CE, known for his contributions to the Talmud.
In the Middle Ages, there was Shaddai ben Joseph ha-Ari, a renowned Kabbalist and mystic born in Safed, Palestine, in the 16th century. He was known for his influential work, the "Tree of Life," which explored the mystical aspects of the Hebrew alphabet and the divine names.
Moving forward in time, Shaddai Dershawin was a Russian-Jewish poet and playwright who lived in the 18th century. He was known for his satirical works and his efforts to promote Hebrew literature.
Another notable figure was Shaddai Yaakov Abramowitz, a 19th-century Polish-Jewish author and scholar who wrote extensively on Jewish law and ethics. His works were widely read and influential in their time.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have carried the name Shaddai, which has a rich and ancient heritage deeply rooted in Semitic cultures and religious traditions.
People
Shaddai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaddai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shaddai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaddai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 392 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaddai 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 874,373 US residents.
Is Shaddai a common name?
We classify Shaddai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 396 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaddai most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaddai was 2023, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaddai is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shaddai a female name?
Yes, 73.0% of people registered as Shaddai 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.