Total births
75
Girls' name · since 2012
Zelah
75 babies named Zelah in U.S. Social Security records since 2012, with the highest year being 2019. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #14717
- among girls today
- 75
- born since 2012
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 17%
- more common than other girls
Zelah currently ranks #14717 among girls' names in America, with 75 babies recorded since 2012.
Social Security Administration records show Zelah recorded 75 times among girls since 2012, holding rank #14717 nationally today, ahead of 17% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2012 to 2025.
- #14717 among girls today
- 75 born since 2012
- 2010s peak decade
- 17% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Zelah is currently the #14717 girls' name in America, more common than 17% of girls - 75 born since 2012, peaking in the 2010s.
- #14717
- among girls today
- 75
- born since 2012
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 17%
- more common than other girls
Zelah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#14717
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 17% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
51% of everyone ever named Zelah was born in this single decade.
2019
Single peak year
11 babies were named Zelah in 2019 - its busiest year on record.
How Zelah compares
75 20th percentile among 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Zelah's all-time total is 80% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Zelah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 75 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11 | 48 | 19,840 |
Zelah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Zelah splits its recorded history at 2020: 49% of all births land in the more recent half, 51% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2020 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2019 peak of 11 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Zelah at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2019
Current rank
#14,717
Active since
2012
Zelah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2012–2025
- Peak year (2019)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 14 years of records
Zelah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Zelah's strongest decade.
38 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 51% of all-time use.
Zelah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2010s
2010s
38 births
- 2020s
2020s
37 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 38 births (51% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Zelah? ▼
Since 2012, Social Security records show 75 babies named Zelah. Today it holds rank #14717 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2019, with 11 births.
When was Zelah most popular? ▼
Zelah was most popular in the 2010s decade with 38 total births. The single peak year was 2019.
How long has the name Zelah been used? ▼
Records for Zelah go back to 2012, giving 14 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Zelah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Zelma, Zelda, Zella, Zelie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Zelah's data
- Zelah's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (38 total births) through the 2020s (37) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Zelah
Nearby Names Like Zelah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zelah
Zelma Girl
#6643 16,824 births
Zelda Girl
#747 16,734 births
Zella Girl
#1840 13,369 births
Zelie Girl
#1822 1,264 births
Zelia Girl
#5447 1,177 births
Compare Zelah side by side: Zelah vs Zelma Zelah vs Zelda Zelah vs Zella
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Zelah
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 2012–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Zelah: #14717 Girls' Name - 75 Births, Peak 2019." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/zelah. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Zelah 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 June 2026.