Zebidiah
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has bestowed".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Zebidiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zebidiah today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zebidiah births was 1997 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zebidiah. 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 Zebidiah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1997
5 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
1997 SSA rank
#10,807
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Zebidiah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zebidiah 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 Zebidiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Zebidiah
The name Zebidiah has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew name Zebadyah, which means "endowed by God" or "gift of God." The name is believed to have been in use among the Israelites as early as the 6th century BCE.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, the name Zebidiah is mentioned as the name of one of the sons of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar. This reference suggests that the name was already in use during the time of the biblical patriarchs, around the 2nd millennium BCE.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Zebidiah was Zebidiah Winslow, an English Puritan who lived from 1597 to 1700. He was a prominent figure among the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, serving as a magistrate and military leader.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Zebidiah Isbell, who lived from 1719 to 1805. He was an American Revolutionary War soldier and one of the earliest settlers in the Ohio Territory, helping to establish the town of Marietta, Ohio.
In the 19th century, Zebidiah Redding was a distinguished American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1839 to 1843, representing the state of New Hampshire.
Zebidiah Hatch, born in 1795 and died in 1868, was a Mormon pioneer and one of the earliest settlers in the Salt Lake Valley. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the western United States.
Zebidiah Cooley, born in 1805 and died in 1892, was an American inventor and manufacturer. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the threshing machine, which revolutionized the agricultural industry in the 19th century.
While the name Zebidiah was more commonly used in the past, particularly among certain religious and cultural groups, it has become relatively rare in modern times. However, its rich historical roots and biblical associations have ensured that it remains a distinctive and meaningful name choice for some parents.
People
Zebidiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zebidiah 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
Zebidiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zebidiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zebidiah 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 Zebidiah a common name?
We classify Zebidiah 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 Zebidiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Zebidiah was 1997, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zebidiah is about 28 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 Zebidiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zebidiah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zebidiah 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 Zebidiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zebidiah 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 Zebidiah 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 Zebidiah as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.