Zalman
A Hebrew masculine name derived from Shlomo meaning "peaceful one".
Name Census estimates that about 645 living Americans carry the first name Zalman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zalman today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zalman births was 2021 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zalman. 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
645
~ 1 in 531,402 Americans
Peak year
2021
27 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,550
Tracked since 1949
Popularity
Zalman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zalman from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 162 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zalman remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zalman 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 Zalman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zalmans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Zalman
The name Zalman is of Hebrew origin and has its roots in the biblical name Shelomo or Solomon, meaning "peaceful." It is a variant of the Yiddish name Shlomo, which is derived from the Hebrew name.
The earliest recorded use of the name Zalman can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Jewish communities across Europe. It was a common name among Ashkenazi Jews and was often used as a shortened form of the name Shlomo or Solomon.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Zalman was Rabbi Zalman of St. Petersburg, a prominent Hasidic rabbi and author who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was known for his works on Jewish law and mysticism.
Another notable figure with the name Zalman was Zalman Shazar, the third President of Israel, who served from 1963 to 1973. Born in 1889 in present-day Belarus, he was a prominent Zionist leader and played a significant role in the establishment of the State of Israel.
In the 20th century, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (1924-2014) was a renowned Jewish Renewal rabbi and author. He was instrumental in the revival of Jewish mysticism and played a pivotal role in the Jewish Renewal movement.
Zalman Aran (1899-1970) was an Israeli politician and one of the signatories of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. He served as a member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, for several terms.
Zalman Aranne (1909-1982) was a prominent Israeli author and playwright. He is best known for his works that explored the complexities of life in Israel and the struggles of Jewish immigrants in the early years of the state.
While the name Zalman has its roots in Hebrew and Jewish culture, it has gained popularity among various communities and has been adopted across different cultures and languages. However, its historical significance and connection to Jewish heritage remain deeply rooted in its origins.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Zalman
People
Zalman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zalman as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zalman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zalman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 645 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zalman 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 531,402 US residents.
Is Zalman a common name?
We classify Zalman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 665 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zalman most popular?
The single biggest year for Zalman was 2021, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zalman is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zalman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zalman 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.