Zhavia
A feminine name with origins in Ukraine meaning "life-giving".
Name Census estimates that about 1,058 living Americans carry the first name Zhavia. It is a predominantly female name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named Zhavia today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zhavia births was 2018 (314 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zhavia. 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 Zhavia with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Zhavia is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 6 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 323,964 Americans
Peak year
2018
314 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2018 SSA rank
#2,765
Tracked since 2018
Gender
Gender distribution for Zhavia
Out of the 1,065 babies given the name Zhavia since 1880, 99.3% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Zhavia as a male name
- Ranked #10,748 in 2018
- 7 male births in 2018
- Peak: 2018 (7 births)
Zhavia as a female name
- Ranked #2,765 in 2024
- 62 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (307 births)
Popularity
Zhavia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zhavia from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 534 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
Zhavia 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 Zhavia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zhavias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 27 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Zhavia, while Utah, Massachusetts, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zhavia
The name Zhavia is a unique and intriguing moniker that traces its origins to the ancient civilization of Sumeria, located in the region known today as southern Iraq. It is believed to have derived from the Sumerian word "zhav," which translates to "life-giver" or "bringer of life." This linguistic root underscores the deep reverence and significance that the Sumerians held for the cycle of life and fertility.
During the height of Sumerian culture, which flourished between the 4th and 3rd millennia BC, the name Zhavia was likely bestowed upon children as a symbol of hope and prosperity. The Sumerians were known for their advanced understanding of astronomy, mathematics, and agriculture, and it is possible that the name was associated with the bountiful harvests and abundance that sustained their vibrant civilization.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zhavia can be found in a cuneiform tablet dating back to approximately 2500 BC. This ancient clay tablet, discovered in the ruins of the city of Ur, contains a list of names, including what appears to be a variation of Zhavia, written in the distinctive wedge-shaped script of the Sumerians.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Zhavia. One of the most renowned was Zhavia of Lagash, a high priestess who lived around 2300 BC and was revered for her wisdom and spiritual guidance. Another figure of note was Zhavia the Scribe, a celebrated scholar who lived in the city of Nippur during the reign of the Akkadian king Sargon the Great (circa 2334-2279 BC).
In the realm of ancient mythology, the name Zhavia is said to have been borne by a minor goddess associated with fertility and the cycles of nature. Although little is known about this deity, her presence in the pantheon of Sumerian deities reflects the enduring significance of the name and its connection to the reverence for life.
Another noteworthy individual who carried the name Zhavia was a renowned artist and artisan from the city of Uruk, who lived during the Babylonian era (circa 1800 BC). Her exquisite sculpted works, depicting scenes of daily life and religious rituals, have been discovered in archaeological excavations and are now housed in various museums around the world.
As the centuries passed, the name Zhavia continued to be used, though its prevalence waxed and waned across different civilizations and cultures. In the 5th century AD, a Persian scholar and philosopher named Zhavia of Ctesiphon gained recognition for her treatises on ethics and the nature of the soul.
People
Zhavia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zhavia 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
Zhavia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zhavia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,058 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zhavia 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 323,964 US residents.
Is Zhavia a common name?
We classify Zhavia as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,065 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zhavia most popular?
The single biggest year for Zhavia was 2018, when 314 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zhavia is about 6 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 Zhavia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zhavia a female name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as Zhavia in the SSA data are female. 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 Zhavia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zhavia 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 Zhavia 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 many Americans are named Zhavia?
See how many people share the name Zhavia on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.