Boys' name · since 1880

Zeb

Zeb has 2,750 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1979 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#2,690 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,815 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
2,750
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Yes -- Zeb is the #6815 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 2,750 recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Zeb recorded 2,750 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #6815 nationally today, ahead of 51% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #2,690 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #6,815 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 2,750 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zeb ranks #2,690 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,815 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,750 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#2,690 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,815 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
2,750
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%51%
Zeb vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Zeb's 2,750 recorded births place it above 94.08% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

8 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.

How Zeb compares

2,750 Top 18% higher than 82% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Zeb's all-time total is 7x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Zeb Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 2,750 369 358,536
Peak-year births 65 34 22,252

Zeb's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Zeb splits its recorded history at 1953: 56% of all births land in the more recent half, 44% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1885 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1979 peak of 65 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Zeb popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1979)
65
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
020406080 188019001919193819571976199520142025 12

Zeb by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (327 births, 12% of the file).

1920s was Zeb's strongest decade.

327 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.

Zeb births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 327 births (12% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Zeb compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Zeb's total volume

Zeb vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -55, 4.7%-119, 1.5%-54, 4.5%-110, 5.2%-49, 7.9%-63, 5.8%-111, 2.2%-62, 3.4%-114, 2.5%-111, 18.6%-20, 9.1%-27, 6.9%-93, 3%-58, 3.3%-57, 5.2%Zeb-146, 2.4%Zeb
Zeb vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Zeb by state

Where Zeb concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Zeb
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
570 20.7%
#2 Texas
18 0.7%
#3 Tennessee
12 0.4%
#4 California
11 0.4%
#5 Iowa
6 0.2%
#6 Alabama
5 0.2%
#7 Georgia
5 0.2%
#8 Oregon
5 0.2%
North Carolina share of Zeb's total US births 20.7%
Even split

570 of 2,750 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Zeb? ▼
Zeb has been given to 2,750 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #2,690 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #6,815 of 13,930. 65 babies were born in 1979, its single highest year.
Where does Zeb sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zeb ranks #2,690 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,815 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Zeb most popular? ▼
Zeb was most popular in the 1920s decade with 327 total births. The single peak year was 1979.
Where is Zeb most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Zeb are North Carolina (570 births), Texas (18 births), Tennessee (12 births).
How long has the name Zeb been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Zeb since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Zeb? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Zebulon, Zebedee, Zebadiah, Zebulun, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Zeb's data

  • Zeb's decade-level peak was the 1920s (327 total births); usage has since declined to 88 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • North Carolina records the most Zebs (570 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Zeb

Nearby Names Like Zeb

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zeb

Zebulon Boy
#4865 2,149 births
Zebedee Boy
#5056 1,276 births
Zebadiah Boy
#3610 1,112 births
Zebulun Boy
#4444 894 births
Zebediah Boy
#5281 622 births

Compare Zeb side by side: Zeb vs Zebulon Zeb vs Zebedee Zeb vs Zebadiah

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Zeb

Newt #6814
852 births · Peak 1914
Ludwig #6816
2,696 births · Peak 1916
Haywood #6813
6,541 births · Peak 1919
Buster #6817
8,173 births · Peak 1918
Garland #6812
23,857 births · Peak 1922
Grace #6818
1,405 births · Peak 2004
Evert #6811
3,316 births · Peak 1923
Stanford #6819
7,727 births · Peak 1954

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Zeb: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Zeb draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.