Zilphia
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly from the Hebrew name "Tsilpah".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Zilphia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zilphia today is around 89 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zilphia births was 1920 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zilphia. 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
- • The typical person named Zilphia is about 89 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Zilphias were born before 1947.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zilphia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1920
16 babies that year
Average age
89
years old
1950 SSA rank
#5,298
Tracked since 1888
Popularity
Zilphia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zilphia from the 1880s through to the 1950s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zilphia 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 Zilphia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zilphias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Zilphia
The name Zilphia has its origins in the Hebrew language and is derived from the word "zilpah," which means "a dropping" or "a trickling." This name is first mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, where Zilpah is described as the handmaid of Leah, one of the wives of Jacob.
In the biblical narrative, Leah gave Zilpah to her husband Jacob as a concubine, and Zilpah bore two sons for Jacob, Gad and Asher. The name Zilphia is a variant spelling of the original Hebrew name Zilpah, and it has been used throughout history, although not as commonly as some other biblical names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zilphia is found in the 17th century, when Zilphia Grant was born in 1674 in Windsor, Connecticut. She was the daughter of Matthew Grant and Priscilla Hosmer.
In the late 18th century, Zilphia Gant was born in 1776 in Virginia. She later married John Horsley, and they had several children together. Zilphia Gant Horsley lived a relatively long life for that time period, passing away in 1853.
Another notable Zilphia was Zilphia Stuart, who was born in 1865 in North Carolina. She was a teacher and writer, and she authored several works, including "The Life of Judge Asa Biggs" and "A Woman's Life Work."
In the early 20th century, Zilphia Horton was born in 1910 in Arkansas. She was a musician, educator, and civil rights activist who co-founded the Highlander Folk School, which played a significant role in the civil rights movement. Zilphia Horton worked alongside notable figures such as Pete Seeger and Myles Horton, and she helped to promote the use of music in social and political movements.
Another Zilphia of historical significance was Zilphia Micklem, who was born in 1879 in England. She was a prominent Quaker and pacifist who worked tirelessly for peace and social justice causes. Zilphia Micklem was actively involved in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and served as the organization's president from 1925 to 1929.
People
Zilphia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zilphia 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
Zilphia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zilphia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zilphia 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Zilphia a common name?
We classify Zilphia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 199 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zilphia most popular?
The single biggest year for Zilphia was 1920, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zilphia is about 89 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 Zilphia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zilphia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zilphia 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 Zilphia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zilphia 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 Zilphia 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 Zilphia as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Zilphia, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.