Zavious
An unusual masculine name possibly derived from Zealous or Xavier.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Zavious. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zavious today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zavious births was 2009 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zavious. 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 Zavious. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2009
6 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2009 SSA rank
#12,466
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Zavious: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zavious from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zavious 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 Zavious during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zavious
The name Zavious is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the 20th century. It does not seem to have any direct roots in ancient languages or historical texts. The name appears to be a unique variation on more common names like Xavier or Savion, possibly blending elements of both.
One theory suggests that Zavious may have been created by combining the Latin name Xavius with the suffix "-ous," which has Greek origins and is often used to form adjectives. This could give the name a meaning along the lines of "the new one" or "the different one." However, the true origin and intended meaning behind the name remain uncertain.
Despite its modern creation, there are a few notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Zavious. One of the earliest recorded instances is Zavious Johnson (1923-2001), an American civil rights activist and community leader from Mississippi. He was involved in the Freedom Riders movement and worked tirelessly to promote equality and social justice.
Another individual named Zavious was Zavious Turner (1948-2015), an American football player who played as a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins and the San Francisco 49ers in the 1970s.
In the field of music, there was Zavious "Zav" Smith (1962-2018), an American rapper and record producer from Los Angeles. He was part of the hip-hop group Thug Life, formed by Tupac Shakur in the early 1990s.
More recently, Zavious M. Turner (born 1987) is an American professional basketball player who has played in various leagues around the world, including the NBA G League and leagues in Europe and Asia.
Lastly, Zavious Neely (born 1988) is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the defensive line coach for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team.
While the name Zavious is relatively uncommon, it has been given to several notable individuals over the past century, primarily in the United States. Its unique sound and modern origin have likely contributed to its growing popularity in recent decades.
People
Zavious + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zavious 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
Zavious: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zavious?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zavious 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Zavious a common name?
We classify Zavious as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zavious most popular?
The single biggest year for Zavious was 2009, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zavious is about 26 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 Zavious in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zavious a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zavious 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 Zavious still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zavious 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 Zavious 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 common is the name Zavious?
Want to know how many people share the name Zavious? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.