Zhivago
A masculine Russian name derived from the word "zhiv" meaning "alive".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Zhivago. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zhivago today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zhivago births was 1980 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zhivago. 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 Zhivago. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1980
5 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1980 SSA rank
#7,292
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Zhivago: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zhivago 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 Zhivago during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Zhivago
Zhivago is a given name with roots in the Russian language. It has its origins in the old Russian word "zhiv", meaning "alive" or "living". The name is believed to have first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 15th or 16th century, as a surname or patronymic in Russia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zhivago can be found in the famous Russian novel "Doctor Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak, published in 1957. The novel's protagonist, Yuri Zhivago, was a physician and poet living during the tumultuous times of the Russian Revolution. This literary work brought widespread recognition to the name and contributed to its popularity.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Zhivago. One such person was Mikhail Zhivago (1880-1949), a Russian historian and archaeologist who specialized in the study of ancient Russian architecture and cultural heritage. Another was Nikolai Zhivago (1858-1918), a Russian military officer and hero of the Russo-Japanese War.
In the realm of art, Vasily Zhivago (1924-2001) was a prominent Russian painter and member of the Moscow Union of Artists. His works often depicted landscapes and scenes from rural life in Russia. Additionally, Andrei Zhivago (1891-1942) was a Russian actor and director who made significant contributions to the early years of Soviet cinema.
It is worth noting that while the name Zhivago has its origins in Russia, it has also gained recognition and usage in other Slavic countries and cultures influenced by Russian culture and literature. However, detailed historical records and references beyond the Russian context are relatively scarce.
People
Zhivago + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zhivago 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
Zhivago: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zhivago?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zhivago 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Zhivago a common name?
We classify Zhivago as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% 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 Zhivago most popular?
The single biggest year for Zhivago was 1980, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zhivago is about 43 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 Zhivago in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zhivago a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zhivago 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 Zhivago still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zhivago 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 Zhivago 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 are named Zhivago?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.