Zebulun
An ancient Hebrew masculine name meaning "exalted" or "dwelling place".
Name Census estimates that about 848 living Americans carry the first name Zebulun. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zebulun today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zebulun births was 1979 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zebulun. 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
848
~ 1 in 404,191 Americans
Peak year
1979
30 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,776
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Zebulun: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zebulun from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 195 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Zebulun remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zebulun 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 Zebulun during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zebuluns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Michigan, Missouri, New York recorded the most babies named Zebulun, while New York, Missouri, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zebulun
Zebulun is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin, derived from the Biblical name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The name can be traced back to the Hebrew word "zebed," meaning "gift" or "dowry," and the suffix "-un," which is a diminutive form. It is believed to have been in use since ancient times, around the 2nd millennium BC.
The name first appears in the Book of Genesis, where it is given to the sixth son of Jacob and Leah. In the Bible, Zebulun is portrayed as a skilled sailor and trader, with his tribe inhabiting the coastal region of ancient Canaan, near the Mediterranean Sea.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Zebulun was a Levite mentioned in the Book of Ezra, who lived during the 5th century BC. He was among those who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zebulun. One of the most prominent was Zebulun ben Abraham Anaw (c. 1615-1679), a renowned Italian Jewish scholar and rabbi who authored several influential works on Jewish law and philosophy.
Another notable figure was Zebulun Ghelrud (c. 1625-1708), a Ukrainian-born Jewish scholar and kabbalist who lived in the Ottoman Empire. He was known for his expertise in Jewish mysticism and his contributions to the study of the Kabbalah.
In the 18th century, Zebulun ben Yaakov Margaliut (1760-1826) was a prominent rabbi and Talmudic scholar from the Galilee region of modern-day Israel. He was renowned for his commentary on the Talmud and his efforts in promoting Jewish education.
Moving into the 19th century, Zebulun Koves (1807-1881) was a Hungarian-born Jewish educator and author who played a significant role in promoting modern Hebrew education and literature in Eastern Europe.
Another notable figure was Zebulun Lipkin (1846-1924), a Russian-born rabbi and scholar who served as the Chief Rabbi of Lyon, France, and was known for his expertise in Jewish law and his efforts in promoting Jewish education and cultural preservation.
People
Zebulun + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zebulun 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
Zebulun: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zebulun?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 848 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zebulun 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 404,191 US residents.
Is Zebulun a common name?
We classify Zebulun as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 870 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zebulun most popular?
The single biggest year for Zebulun was 1979, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zebulun is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zebulun a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zebulun 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.