Ziporah
A Hebrew feminine name meaning "bird" or "small bird".
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Ziporah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ziporah today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ziporah births was 1999 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ziporah. 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 Ziporah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
1999
6 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2014 SSA rank
#19,213
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Ziporah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ziporah from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Ziporah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ziporah 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 Ziporah 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 Ziporah
The name Ziporah finds its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, with its earliest known references dating back to ancient times. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "tzipor," which translates to "bird." It is believed to have been a popular name among the Hebrews during the biblical era.
One of the most notable historical references to the name Ziporah comes from the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of Moses' wife. According to the biblical account, Ziporah was the daughter of Jethro, a Midianite priest, and played a crucial role in helping Moses fulfill his divine mission.
The name Ziporah is also mentioned in other ancient Jewish texts and historical records, such as the Talmud and various rabbinical writings. These sources provide insights into the cultural and religious significance of the name during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded examples of an individual bearing the name Ziporah dates back to the 1st century CE. A woman named Ziporah is mentioned in the Talmud as a renowned Jewish scholar and teacher.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Ziporah. One such individual was Ziporah Nunes Bernal (1645-1718), a Jewish writer and poet who lived in Amsterdam during the 17th century. Her works explored themes of faith, identity, and the Jewish experience.
Another prominent figure was Ziporah Pines (1924-2001), an Israeli philosopher and academic. She made significant contributions to the fields of ethics, political philosophy, and the study of ancient Greek thought.
In the 19th century, Ziporah Potter (1838-1911) was a notable American abolitionist and activist for women's rights. She worked tirelessly to advocate for the abolition of slavery and the empowerment of women.
More recently, Ziporah Brodsky (1904-1981) was a Russian-American artist and sculptor known for her abstract and modernist works. Her sculptures and installations were widely exhibited and celebrated during her lifetime.
Ziporah Leibowitz (1905-1984) was an influential Israeli Orthodox Jewish scholar and teacher. She played a significant role in shaping modern Orthodox Jewish thought and education, particularly in the areas of Jewish law and ethics.
People
Ziporah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ziporah 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
Ziporah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ziporah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ziporah 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 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Ziporah a common name?
We classify Ziporah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ziporah most popular?
The single biggest year for Ziporah was 1999, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ziporah is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ziporah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ziporah 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.
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.