Recorded 1886–1970 Girls' name Peak 1921 414 births

Zelphia — girls' name

414 babies named Zelphia in U.S. Social Security records since 1886, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s51890s61900s411910s811920s1261930s651940s281950s331960s181970s11
1920s
Peak decade

30% of everyone ever named Zelphia was born in this single decade.

1921
Single peak year

19 babies were named Zelphia in 1921 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Zelphia

The Social Security Administration has registered 414 babies named Zelphia between 1886 and 1970, spanning 85 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Zelphia currently falls outside the top 1,000 girls' names for 1970. The name reached its historical peak in 1921, when 19 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Zelphia performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 126 births during that ten-year window. Across the 10 decades of recorded activity, Zelphia shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Kentucky, which accounts for 5 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by . In total, SSA state-level files list Zelphia in 1 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Zelphia in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 414 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Zelphia at a glance

Last recorded 1970

Total births

414

Since 1886

85 years of records

Peak year

1921

19 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 1970

Active since

1886

Recorded for 85 years

Last year on file: 1970

Zelphia popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–1886

Last recorded 1970
Peak year (1921)
19
Annual births at peak — across 85 years of records
05101520 197019511940193319271921191519061886 5

Zelphia by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
126 births that decade — 30% of Zelphia's all-time total
1880s51890s61900s411910s811920s1261930s651940s281950s331960s181970s11

Zelphia by state

Where Zelphia concentrates geographically — total births since 1886

Geographically diffuse
Top 1 states by recorded births for the name Zelphia
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Kentucky
5 1.2%
Kentucky share of Zelphia's total US births 1.2%

5 of 414 births nationwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Zelphia?
414 babies have been named Zelphia since 1886. It was last recorded in 1970. The peak year was 1921 with 19 births.
When was Zelphia most popular?
Zelphia was most popular in the 1920s decade with 126 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Zelphia most popular?
The top states for the name Zelphia are Kentucky (5 births).
How long has the name Zelphia been used?
Zelphia has been recorded in Social Security data since 1886, spanning 85 years of data through 1970.
What names are similar to Zelphia?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Zelma, Zelda, Zella, Zelia, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Zelphia

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1886–1970 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.