Fun Facts About the Name Gedalya
- 209 babies named Gedalya: U.S. records list 209 babies given the name Gedalya from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Gedalya Mean?
Gedalya is a Hebrew name usually understood to mean "Yahweh is great" or "Yahweh has made great." It is a shorter form of the biblical name Gedaliah (Hebrew גְּדַלְיָה / גְּדַלְיָהוּ, Gedalyah/Gedalyahu). The name is a compound of גָּדַל (gadal), "to be great, become great, magnify," and יָהּ (Yah), a short form of the divine name YHWH. English translations often use "the Lord" in place of "Yahweh," yielding "the Lord is great" or "the Lord has made great." The exact nuance depends on whether the Hebrew verb is read as stative ("is great") or causative ("has made great"); both renderings appear in reference works. The name is a statement about God's greatness rather than a description of the person who bears it.
Gedalya Name History & Origins
The Hebrew Bible uses both the longer form גְּדַלְיָהוּ (Gedalyahu) and the shorter form גְּדַלְיָה (Gedalyah), from which Gedalya derives. Its best-known bearer is Gedaliah son of Ahikam. After Babylonian forces captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in 586 BCE, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah governor over the Judeans who remained in the land. Gedaliah administered the province from Mizpah. Ishmael son of Nethaniah, with support from the Ammonite king Baalis, assassinated him, and the remaining Judeans fled to Egypt (2 Kings 25:22 - 26; Jeremiah 40 - 41). Jewish tradition commemorates the assassination with the Fast of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah), a minor fast observed on 3 Tishrei, the day after Rosh Hashanah.
The Bible also names a Gedaliah son of Pashhur, an official who opposed the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:1), and a post-exilic Gedaliah among the priests who had married foreign women (Ezra 10:18). After biblical times the name continued in Jewish use. In modern usage, Gedalya is the form found in Hebrew and Yiddish-speaking communities, while Gedaliah and Gedalia are common English spellings. Related forms include Gedalyahu.
How Popular is the Name Gedalya?
Gedalya has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2022. Its best rank was #5,276 in 2022.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,950 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #7,915 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #5,528 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2022 | #5,276 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #6,131 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #11,058 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #8,414 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #7,789 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #8,377 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #10,006 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #9,023 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #11,182 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #12,763 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #9,144 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #11,299 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #7,238 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #13,110 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #7,258 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #11,099 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #9,450 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #11,475 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #11,139 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #10,972 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #9,085 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Gedalya Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are introspective, prophetic, philosophical, and soul searching, but also can be analytical, critical and opinionated. You think deeply and clearly, have an air of mystery, can be solitary and secretive. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Gedalya's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Gedalya's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.