Zepplin
A masculine name derived from the German word "Zeppelin" referring to an airship.
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the first name Zepplin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zepplin today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zepplin births was 2022 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zepplin. 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
116
~ 1 in 2,954,779 Americans
Peak year
2022
17 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,848
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Zepplin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zepplin from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 62 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zepplin 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 Zepplin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zepplin
The first name Zepplin is a relatively modern name that originated in the late 19th century, inspired by the invention of the Zeppelin airship by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. The name has no direct linguistic roots or cultural origins, but rather was derived from the surname of its inventor.
The name gained popularity after the successful launch of the first Zeppelin in 1900, which captured the imagination of people around the world. The Zeppelin airships were a symbol of technological progress and innovation, and the name Zepplin became associated with these ideals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zepplin was in 1902, when a German family named their son Zepplin in honor of the groundbreaking invention. However, it was not until the 1960s and 1970s that the name gained widespread popularity, particularly in English-speaking countries.
Zepplin is a unique name that has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was Zepplin Ardizzone (1908-1979), an Italian-born British artist and children's book illustrator. His distinctive illustrations in books like "Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain" and "The Little Bookroom" captured the imagination of generations of children.
Another notable bearer of the name was Zepplin Wicker (1921-2003), an American sculptor and artist known for his large-scale public installations. His works can be found in numerous parks and public spaces across the United States.
In the world of music, Zepplin Giles (1948-2022) was a respected British drummer and session musician who performed with various rock bands throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Zepplin Harrington (1934-2007) was an Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for over two decades, representing the Labor Party.
Lastly, Zepplin Rydell (1962-present) is a Swedish author and journalist who has written several acclaimed novels and non-fiction works exploring themes of identity, gender, and societal norms.
While the name Zepplin may be relatively uncommon, it has been borne by a diverse group of individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from art and literature to music and politics.
People
Zepplin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zepplin 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
Zepplin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zepplin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 116 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zepplin 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 2,954,779 US residents.
Is Zepplin a common name?
We classify Zepplin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 117 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zepplin most popular?
The single biggest year for Zepplin was 2022, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zepplin is about 8 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 Zepplin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zepplin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zepplin 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 Zepplin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zepplin 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 Zepplin 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 Americans are named Zepplin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.