Yahve
Hebrew theonym representing the biblical name of God.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Yahve. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yahve today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yahve births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yahve. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yahve. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#14,110
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Yahve: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Yahve 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 Yahve during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Yahve
The name Yahve is derived from the Hebrew name יהוה (YHWH), which is the personal name of the God of Israel. The meaning of the name Yahve is not entirely certain, but it is believed to be a combination of the Hebrew words "to be" and "he causes to be," signifying the eternal and self-existent nature of God.
The name Yahve first appeared in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament, where it is used thousands of times to refer to the God of the Israelites. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Book of Genesis, which dates back to around the 6th century BCE.
In the Hebrew Bible, the name Yahve is often accompanied by various titles or epithets, such as "Lord of Hosts," "Almighty," and "Most High." These titles reflect the reverence and awe with which the Israelites regarded their God.
While the name Yahve is not commonly used as a personal name today, it has been recorded throughout history in various contexts. One notable figure was a 6th-century BCE Jewish prophet named Yahve-nissi, whose name means "Yahve is my banner."
Another historical figure associated with the name Yahve was a 1st-century CE Jewish revolutionary named Yahve-ben-Sisi, who led a rebellion against the Roman Empire in Judea.
In the 4th century CE, a Roman soldier named Yahve-Maximus is recorded as having converted to Christianity and later becoming a martyr for his faith.
During the Middle Ages, a Franciscan friar named Yahve of Pforzheim (born around 1380) was known for his writings on spirituality and mysticism.
In the 16th century, a Spanish theologian named Yahve de Valdes (1509-1541) played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was known for his translations of the Bible into Spanish.
While the name Yahve is not commonly used as a personal name today, it remains an important part of the Judeo-Christian tradition and holds deep significance for those who follow these faiths.
People
Yahve + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yahve as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yahve: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yahve?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yahve 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Yahve a common name?
We classify Yahve as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yahve most popular?
The single biggest year for Yahve was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yahve is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Yahve in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yahve a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yahve 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.
Is Yahve still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yahve in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Yahve can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Yahve?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Yahve, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.