Tzirel
A feminine name of Yiddish origin meaning "honeycomb" or "sweet".
Name Census estimates that about 513 living Americans carry the first name Tzirel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tzirel today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tzirel births was 2021 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tzirel. 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
513
~ 1 in 668,137 Americans
Peak year
2021
29 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,894
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Tzirel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tzirel 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 156 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Tzirel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tzirel 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 Tzirel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tzirels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tzirel
The given name Tzirel originates from the Yiddish language, which was historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe. It is a feminine name derived from the Hebrew word "tzir," meaning "rock" or "cliff." The name likely emerged in the late medieval period or the early modern era among Yiddish-speaking Jewish communities.
Tzirel is closely related to the Hebrew name "Tzura," which shares the same root and meaning. In the Bible, the word "tzur" is often used metaphorically to refer to God as a strong and reliable fortress or refuge. Therefore, the name Tzirel may have been chosen to convey a sense of strength, resilience, and steadfastness associated with the divine.
While the exact origins of the name Tzirel are uncertain, it is possible that it was inspired by biblical references or rabbinical writings that employed the word "tzur" or its derivatives. However, there is no specific mention of the name Tzirel in ancient texts or historical records.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Tzirel can be found in the 17th century, when it was used by Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. Tzirel Leah Horowitz (1630-1690), a prominent Jewish scholar and author from Krakow, Poland, was one of the first notable bearers of this name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tzirel, including:
1. Tzirel Bernstein (1865-1942), a Yiddish writer and activist from Ukraine.
2. Tzirel Sofer (1886-1959), a Polish-born American Yiddish poet and author.
3. Tzirel Braunstein (1907-1986), an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset.
4. Tzirel Shemtov (1925-2015), a Holocaust survivor and educator from Poland.
5. Tzirel Kosakievitz (1935-2020), a Yiddish singer and actress from Ukraine.
While the name Tzirel has its roots in the Yiddish language and Jewish tradition, it has also been adopted by non-Jewish communities in various parts of the world, particularly in recent times. However, its historical significance and connection to the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora remain an integral part of its cultural heritage.
People
Tzirel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tzirel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tzirel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tzirel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 513 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tzirel 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 668,137 US residents.
Is Tzirel a common name?
We classify Tzirel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 521 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tzirel most popular?
The single biggest year for Tzirel was 2021, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tzirel is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tzirel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tzirel 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.