Unisex name · since 1971
Zel
16 babies named Zel in U.S. Social Security records since 1971, with the highest year being 2019. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #31,147 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 16
- born since 1971
- 2010s
- peak decade
16 boys have been named Zel since 1971, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zel has been recorded 16 times among boys since 1971, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1971 to 2019.
- #31,147 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 16 born since 1971
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zel ranks #31,147 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 16 born since 1971, peaking in the 2010s.
- #31,147 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 16
- born since 1971
- 2010s
- peak decade
Zel's 16 recorded births place it above 31.5% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Zel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Zel splits its recorded history at 2019: 69% of all births land in the more recent half, 31% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1971 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2019 peak of 11 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Zel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2019
- Peak year (2019)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 49 years of records
Zel popularity over time - girls
13 total births recorded since 2018 (Zel as girls' name)
Zel by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (11 births, 69% of the file).
2010s was Zel's strongest decade.
11 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 69% of all-time use.
Zel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
5 births
- 2010s
2010s
11 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 11 births (69% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Zel? ▼
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When was Zel most popular? ▼
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Keep exploring Zel
Nearby Names Like Zel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zel
Compare Zel side by side: Zel vs Zell Zel vs Zelig Zel vs Zelma
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Zel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2019)
Similar record span (~48 yrs)
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, 1971–2019 (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 Zel 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.