Zavdiel
A Hebrew masculine name meaning "God's gift" or "God has given."
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Zavdiel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zavdiel today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zavdiel births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zavdiel. 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 Zavdiel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2017
5 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#14,224
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Zavdiel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zavdiel 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 Zavdiel 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 Zavdiel
The given name Zavdiel is of Hebrew origin, believed to have emerged around the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Hebrew words "zav" meaning "glory" and "el" meaning "God," suggesting a meaning of "Glory of God" or "Glorious God."
In ancient Hebrew texts and scriptures, the name Zavdiel is not explicitly mentioned. However, it bears resemblance to other Hebrew names with similar roots, such as Zebadiah and Obadiah, which carry connotations of divine glory and servitude.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Zavdiel are found in Jewish communities in the Middle East and Europe during the medieval period. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Zavdiel ben Isaac, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in Spain during the 12th century CE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zavdiel:
1. Zavdiel ben Isaac (12th century CE), a Spanish Jewish philosopher and author of the work "Sefer ha-Sho'ibim."
2. Zavdiel ben Joseph (14th century CE), a Jewish rabbi and scholar from Catalonia, known for his contributions to Talmudic studies.
3. Zavdiel ben Levi (16th century CE), a Jewish kabbalist and mystic from Safed, renowned for his work on the Zohar.
4. Zavdiel ben Eleazar (17th century CE), a Jewish rabbi and author from Poland, known for his commentary on the Talmud.
5. Zavdiel ben Aaron (18th century CE), a Jewish scholar and teacher from Italy, who established a prominent yeshiva in Venice.
While the name Zavdiel has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has maintained a presence within Jewish communities, particularly among those with Sephardic and Mizrahi traditions. The name carries a deep spiritual significance, reflecting the reverence for divine glory and the desire to honor God through one's name.
People
Zavdiel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zavdiel 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
Zavdiel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zavdiel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zavdiel 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 Zavdiel a common name?
We classify Zavdiel 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 Zavdiel most popular?
The single biggest year for Zavdiel was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zavdiel is about 9 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 Zavdiel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zavdiel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zavdiel 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 Zavdiel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zavdiel 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 Zavdiel 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 share the name Zavdiel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Zavdiel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.