Zoser
An Ancient Egyptian masculine name meaning "powerful".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Zoser. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zoser today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zoser births was 2019 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zoser. 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 Zoser. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2019
5 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#14,114
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Zoser: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zoser 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 Zoser during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Zoser
The given name Zoser originates from Ancient Egypt, dating back to the 3rd Dynasty (c. 2686-2613 BCE). It is derived from the Egyptian phrase "Zosir", meaning "everlasting is the soul of Ra". Ra was the ancient Egyptian sun god and one of the most revered deities in Egyptian mythology.
Zoser was the birth name of Djoser, the third king of the 3rd Dynasty, who ruled from around 2668-2644 BCE. He is renowned for commissioning the first pyramid ever built, the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, designed by his vizier, Imhotep. This monumental achievement marked a significant milestone in Egyptian architecture and engineering.
In ancient Egyptian historical records, such as the Turin King List and the Abydos King List, Zoser's name is prominently featured, reflecting his legacy as a powerful and influential ruler during the Early Dynastic Period.
The earliest recorded example of the name Zoser is found in the inscriptions and reliefs adorning his mortuary complex at Saqqara, where his birth name is inscribed alongside his royal titles and cartouches.
Throughout history, a few notable individuals have borne the name Zoser, although it is relatively uncommon. One such figure was Zoser (1291-1279 BCE), a prince and crown prince during the 19th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt under the reign of Seti I.
Another prominent individual with this name was Zoser (fl. 2668-2644 BCE), the ancient Egyptian architect credited with designing and overseeing the construction of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, considered one of the earliest and most remarkable architectural achievements of ancient Egypt.
In the field of Egyptology, scholars such as Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) and Jean-Philippe Lauer (1902-2001) have made significant contributions to the study and understanding of the reign of Zoser and the Step Pyramid complex.
While relatively uncommon, the name Zoser has been recorded throughout history, serving as a reminder of the enduring legacy of ancient Egyptian culture and the achievements of one of its most influential rulers, Djoser, whose birth name was Zoser.
People
Zoser + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zoser 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
Zoser: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zoser?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zoser 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 Zoser a common name?
We classify Zoser 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 Zoser most popular?
The single biggest year for Zoser was 2019, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zoser is about 7 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 Zoser in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zoser a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zoser 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 Zoser still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zoser 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 Zoser 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 Zoser?
See how many people have the name Zoser on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.