Zael
A variant spelling of the name Zahel meaning "morning star".
Name Census estimates that about 535 living Americans carry the first name Zael. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zael today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zael births was 2024 (89 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zael. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Zael with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
535
~ 1 in 640,662 Americans
Peak year
2024
89 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,828
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Zael: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zael from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 311 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zael by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Zael during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zaels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Zael, while Massachusetts, Arizona, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zael
The name Zael is an ancient name with roots tracing back to the ancient Hebrew language. It is believed to have originated around the 6th century BCE in the region of ancient Israel and Judah. The name Zael is derived from the Hebrew word "tzel," which means "shadow" or "shade."
In ancient Hebrew texts and scriptures, the name Zael is mentioned as a variant spelling of the name Tzelaphchad, which appears in the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible. Tzelaphchad was the name of a man from the tribe of Manasseh who had no sons, and his daughters petitioned Moses for the right to inherit his property, a landmark event in the recognition of women's property rights in ancient Israelite society.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Zael was Zael ben Yitzchak, a Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 10th century CE in the city of Córdoba, which was then part of the Caliphate of Córdoba in modern-day Spain. Zael ben Yitzchak was known for his contributions to the fields of astronomy and mathematics.
Another notable figure with the name Zael was Zael de Tosa, a Catalan poet and troubadour who lived in the 13th century CE in the region of Catalonia, which is now part of Spain. Zael de Tosa was renowned for his love poems and contributions to the development of the Catalan language and literature.
In the 16th century, Zael Ferreira was a Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied the famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage to circumnavigate the globe. Zael Ferreira was born in 1495 and played a crucial role in the successful completion of the expedition after Magellan's death in 1521.
Another individual with the name Zael was Zael ben Levi, a Jewish philosopher and theologian who lived in the 17th century in the Ottoman Empire. Zael ben Levi was known for his teachings on Jewish mysticism and his interpretations of the Kabbalah.
In the 19th century, Zael Felicia Rivadavia was a Venezuelan poet and writer who was born in 1838. She was a prominent figure in the literary and cultural circles of her time and was known for her contributions to the development of Venezuelan literature.
People
Zael + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zael as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zael: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zael?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 535 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zael going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 640,662 US residents.
Is Zael a common name?
We classify Zael as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 539 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zael most popular?
The single biggest year for Zael was 2024, when 89 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zael is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Zael in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zael a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zael in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Zael still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zael in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Zael can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Zael?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.