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.
- #30,416 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #14,408 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 75
- born since 2012
- 2010s
- peak decade
Zelah currently ranks #14408 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 #14408 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.
- #30,416 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #14,408 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 75 born since 2012
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zelah ranks #30,416 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #14,408 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 75 born since 2012, peaking in the 2010s.
- #30,416 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #14,408 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 75
- born since 2012
- 2010s
- peak decade
Zelah's 75 recorded births place it above 57.95% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Zelah compares
75 21st percentile among 17,297 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 (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 75 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11 | 21 | 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 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
2010s is the heaviest window (38 births, 51% of the file).
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? ▼
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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.
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
Compare Zelah side by side: Zelah vs Zelma Zelah vs Zelda Zelah vs Zella
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Zelah
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Zelah: 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 (~13 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, 2012–2025 (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 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 August 2026.