Shraga
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "to rejoice" or "flame".
Name Census estimates that about 688 living Americans carry the first name Shraga. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shraga today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shraga births was 2023 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shraga. 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
688
~ 1 in 498,189 Americans
Peak year
2023
39 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,197
Tracked since 1959
Popularity
Shraga: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shraga from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 222 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Shraga remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shraga 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 Shraga during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shragas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shraga
The name Shraga is a Hebrew name derived from the biblical Hebrew word "Shraga," which means "flame" or "shining." It has its roots in the ancient Near East and is closely associated with Jewish culture and tradition.
The earliest recorded use of the name Shraga can be traced back to the Talmudic era, around the 3rd to 6th centuries CE. It is mentioned in several Jewish religious texts, including the Talmud and various midrashic literature. The name was often given to Jewish children as a way to honor the wisdom and passion associated with the flame metaphor.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Shraga was Rabban Shraga, a renowned Jewish scholar and sage who lived in the 4th century CE. He is cited in the Talmud for his teachings and contributions to Jewish law and tradition.
In the Middle Ages, the name Shraga gained popularity among Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. During this time, several notable figures bore the name, including Shraga Feibush Teomim (c. 1620-1670), a prominent Jewish scholar and author from Poland, and Shraga Feivel Luria (c. 1530-1619), a renowned Talmudic scholar and mystic from Poland.
Another well-known figure was Shraga Aryeh Wertheimer (1723-1801), a prominent Hungarian-Jewish financier and philanthropist who played a significant role in the emancipation of European Jewry.
In more recent times, Shraga has been the name of several influential Jewish leaders and scholars, such as Shraga Feivel Frank (1876-1957), a renowned Orthodox rabbi and Talmudic scholar from Lithuania, and Shraga Simmons (1924-2014), a prominent American-Jewish author and educator.
Throughout its long history, the name Shraga has carried a sense of wisdom, passion, and a connection to the Jewish faith and tradition. While its usage may have fluctuated over time, it remains a significant name within the Jewish community, serving as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage and spiritual values associated with its meaning.
People
Shraga + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shraga 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
Shraga: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shraga?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 688 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shraga 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 498,189 US residents.
Is Shraga a common name?
We classify Shraga as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 698 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shraga most popular?
The single biggest year for Shraga was 2023, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shraga is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shraga a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shraga 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.
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.