Zawdie
An amharic masculine name of uncertain meaning, potentially related to dawn.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Zawdie. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zawdie today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zawdie births was 1971 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zawdie. 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 Zawdie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1971
5 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1971 SSA rank
#5,652
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Zawdie: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zawdie 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 Zawdie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Zawdie
The name Zawdie has its origins in the ancient Ge'ez language, which was the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The name is derived from the Ge'ez word "zawditu," which means "crown" or "glory." This suggests that the name Zawdie was likely borne by individuals of noble or regal lineage in ancient Ethiopia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Kebra Nagast, a 14th-century account of the origins of the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia. The text mentions a figure named Zawdie, who was a nobleman and advisor to the legendary King Solomon.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Zawdie Iyasu served as the Ras (governor) of the Gojjam province in the Ethiopian Empire. He played a crucial role in the political and military affairs of the empire during his reign.
Another notable bearer of the name was Zawdie Gabre Selassie, an Ethiopian diplomat and aristocrat who lived from 1888 to 1959. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie I.
In the 20th century, Zawdie Ferede (1905-1988) was a renowned Ethiopian writer, playwright, and poet. He made significant contributions to the development of modern Amharic literature and played a vital role in the cultural renaissance of Ethiopia.
Zawdie Abate (born in 1948) is a contemporary Ethiopian singer and songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Ethio-jazz and Ethio-soul music. His unique blend of traditional Ethiopian melodies and modern jazz and soul influences has earned him international acclaim.
While the name Zawdie has deep historical roots in the Ethiopian culture and tradition, it has also transcended geographical boundaries and gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly among communities with ties to the Horn of Africa region.
People
Zawdie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zawdie 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
Zawdie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zawdie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zawdie 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 Zawdie a common name?
We classify Zawdie 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 Zawdie most popular?
The single biggest year for Zawdie was 1971, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zawdie is about 50 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 Zawdie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zawdie a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zawdie 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 Zawdie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zawdie 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 Zawdie 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 Zawdie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.