Zed
A masculine Arabic name meaning "increase" or "abundance."
Name Census estimates that about 347 living Americans carry the first name Zed. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zed today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zed births was 2018 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zed. 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
347
~ 1 in 987,765 Americans
Peak year
2018
18 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,167
Tracked since 1882
Popularity
Zed: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zed from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 100 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zed remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zed 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 Zed during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zeds live
Origin
Meaning and history of Zed
The name Zed originates from the Semitic languages and can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia, where it was derived from the word "ẓdq," which means "righteousness" or "justice." This name gained prominence in the Middle East during the early centuries of the Common Era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zed can be found in the Babylonian Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism compiled between the 3rd and 5th centuries CE. The name is mentioned in connection with various scholarly figures and religious leaders of that era.
In the 7th century CE, the name gained further significance with the rise of Islam. Zed was the name of a prominent companion of the Prophet Muhammad, known as Zed ibn Thabit. He played a crucial role in the compilation and preservation of the Quran, the holy book of Islam.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Zed was relatively uncommon outside of the Middle Eastern region. However, it resurfaced in Europe during the Renaissance period, particularly in Italy, where it was sometimes used as a variant of the name Zedekiah, which has Hebrew origins.
One notable individual named Zed was Zed al-Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic known for his profound works on spirituality and love. Another famous bearer of this name was Zed ibn Yahya al-Wadi'i, a 9th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of trigonometry.
In more recent history, the name Zed has been used by several influential figures, including Zed Seselja, an Australian politician and member of the Australian Senate, born in 1977. Additionally, Zed Williamson, an English actor and film producer born in 1968, has gained recognition for his work in the entertainment industry.
While the name Zed has deep roots in ancient cultures, it has maintained a distinct identity throughout the centuries, carrying with it a sense of righteousness and justice, as well as a connection to scholarly and artistic pursuits.
People
Zed + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zed 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
Zed: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zed?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 347 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zed 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 987,765 US residents.
Is Zed a common name?
We classify Zed as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 446 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zed most popular?
The single biggest year for Zed was 2018, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zed is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zed a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zed 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.