Zeldon
An invented name derived from the Hebrew name "Zelda", meaning "gray light".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Zeldon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zeldon today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zeldon births was 1927 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zeldon. 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 Zeldon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1927
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1927 SSA rank
#4,800
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Zeldon: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zeldon 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 Zeldon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Zeldon
The name Zeldon has its origins in the ancient Mesopotamian civilization, dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Akkadian words "zal" meaning "to shine" and "don" meaning "lord" or "master." The name was initially associated with the worship of the sun god, Shamash, and was believed to possess spiritual significance.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Zeldon can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian poem believed to have been composed around 2100 BCE. In this epic, Zeldon is portrayed as a wise and revered figure, advising the protagonist Gilgamesh on his quest for immortality.
During the Babylonian era, around 1800 BCE, the name Zeldon gained popularity among the ruling class and was often bestowed upon members of the royal family. One notable historical figure bearing this name was Zeldon of Kish, a king who ruled over the city-state of Kish in ancient Mesopotamia around 2500 BCE.
In the 6th century BCE, the name Zeldon appeared in the ancient Persian texts of the Zoroastrian religion. The prophet Zoroaster is said to have had a disciple named Zeldon, who played a significant role in spreading the teachings of the faith throughout the Persian Empire.
Throughout the centuries, the name Zeldon has been borne by various individuals across different cultures and regions. One such figure was Zeldon the Scribe, a renowned scholar and calligrapher who lived in the 9th century CE in the Abbasid Caliphate. His exquisite works of calligraphy and illuminated manuscripts are still celebrated today.
Another notable bearer of the name was Zeldon of Tyre, a Phoenician explorer who embarked on a voyage around the African continent in the 7th century BCE, as commissioned by the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II. His daring expedition is credited with being one of the earliest recorded attempts to circumnavigate Africa.
In the 12th century CE, Zeldon the Alchemist was a renowned figure in the field of alchemy and chemistry. His contributions to the development of scientific knowledge and experimental methods were highly influential during the Islamic Golden Age.
During the Renaissance period, Zeldon Mercator, a Flemish cartographer born in 1512, is remembered for his groundbreaking work in creating accurate maps and developing the Mercator projection, which revolutionized cartography and navigation.
In the 19th century, Zeldon Newcomb, an American astronomer born in 1835, made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was instrumental in the development of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac, a crucial publication for navigation.
People
Zeldon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zeldon 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
Zeldon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zeldon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zeldon 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 - US residents.
Is Zeldon a common name?
We classify Zeldon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% 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 Zeldon most popular?
The single biggest year for Zeldon was 1927, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zeldon is about 0 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 Zeldon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zeldon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zeldon 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 Zeldon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zeldon 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 Zeldon 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 Zeldon 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.