Zeva
A name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "splendor" or "light".
Name Census estimates that about 264 living Americans carry the first name Zeva. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zeva today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zeva births was 2013 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zeva. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Zeva with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
264
~ 1 in 1,298,312 Americans
Peak year
2013
29 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,109
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Zeva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zeva 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 188 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zeva 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 Zeva 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 Zeva
The given name Zeva has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the linguistic source for many modern Indo-Iranian languages spoken in South Asia and beyond. The name is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit word "seva," which means "service" or "devotion." It is thought to have emerged as a name during the ancient Vedic period of Indian history, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.
One of the earliest known references to the name Zeva can be found in the Hindu scripture known as the Bhagavad Gita, which is a sacred text that forms part of the epic Mahabharata. In this ancient text, the name Zeva is mentioned as a devotee of Lord Krishna, who was revered as an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu.
The first recorded person with the name Zeva was a Hindu sage and philosopher who lived in the 6th century BCE. This sage, known as Zeva Maharishi, was renowned for his profound wisdom and teachings on the nature of existence and the path to enlightenment. His philosophical insights and teachings were widely studied and revered throughout ancient India.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Zeva was a Buddhist monk who lived in the 4th century BCE. This monk, known as Zeva Thera, was a disciple of the Buddha and is said to have played a significant role in the spread of Buddhism throughout the Indian subcontinent.
In the 12th century CE, there was a renowned Islamic scholar and poet from modern-day Iran who went by the name Zeva al-Din Rumi. He was a Sufi mystic and a prolific writer, best known for his spiritual poetry and teachings on the divine love and unity of all beings.
During the medieval period, the name Zeva was also associated with a Hindu warrior and ruler who lived in the 14th century CE. This ruler, known as Zeva Singh, was a member of the Rajput clan and was renowned for his valor and military prowess in defending his kingdom against invading forces.
In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals to bear the name Zeva was Zeva Friedlander, a German-born artist and sculptor who lived from 1879 to 1957. She was known for her intricate and avant-garde sculptures, many of which explored themes of human emotion and the human form.
People
Zeva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zeva 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
Zeva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zeva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 264 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zeva 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 1,298,312 US residents.
Is Zeva a common name?
We classify Zeva as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 266 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zeva most popular?
The single biggest year for Zeva was 2013, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zeva is about 12 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 Zeva in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zeva a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zeva in the SSA data are female. 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 Zeva still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zeva 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 Zeva 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 Zeva?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.