Fun Facts About the Name Tzvi
- More than 4 thousand babies named Tzvi: U.S. records list 4,215 babies given the name Tzvi from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Tzvi Mean?
Tzvi (Hebrew צְבִי) is a Hebrew name whose literal meaning is "gazelle." It is the Hebrew noun for the small, slender gazelle of the Middle East, so the name is a nature word adopted as a personal name. The same word also carries the sense of "beauty," "splendor," or "glory," which is how it is used in the biblical phrase eretz hatzvi, "the glorious land" (Daniel 8:9).
The name is generally treated as a direct use of this Hebrew noun rather than a shortening of another name. The feminine form Tzvia (צְבִיָּה), meaning "doe," comes from the same root.
Tzvi Name History & Origins
The word tzvi appears throughout the Hebrew Bible as the gazelle. It is listed among the animals permitted for food in Deuteronomy 14:5, and it supplies an image of grace and swiftness in the Song of Songs ("my beloved is like a gazelle," Song of Songs 2:9). Because the gazelle stood for beauty and grace, the word also came to mean "glory," and the prophets apply it to the Land of Israel as eretz hatzvi, the "glorious land" (Daniel 8:9; 11:16).
Jews adopted Tzvi as a personal name, and it is found in Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi communities. In the Ashkenazi tradition it was commonly paired with the Yiddish and German name Hirsch, meaning "stag," producing the double name Tzvi Hirsch; both halves mean a deer-like animal. This reflects the broad Ashkenazi practice of joining a Hebrew name to a Yiddish or German name of the same meaning, as with Dov Ber ("bear") and Aryeh Leib ("lion"). The rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi, known by the title Chacham Tzvi, and the rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer are among its better-known bearers. The simplified spelling Zvi is widely used in Israel, where the name is also common as a given name in its own right.
How Popular is the Name Tzvi?
Tzvi 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 2025. Its best rank was #1,079 in 2025.
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 | #1,079 | 200 | 0.0117% |
| 2024 | #1,168 | 178 | 0.0104% |
| 2023 | #1,154 | 181 | 0.0106% |
| 2022 | #1,154 | 180 | 0.0103% |
| 2021 | #1,096 | 192 | 0.0110% |
| 2020 | #1,117 | 177 | 0.0103% |
| 2019 | #1,148 | 170 | 0.0095% |
| 2018 | #1,222 | 153 | 0.0084% |
| 2017 | #1,235 | 149 | 0.0081% |
| 2016 | #1,365 | 131 | 0.0069% |
| 2015 | #1,282 | 140 | 0.0073% |
| 2014 | #1,384 | 124 | 0.0065% |
| 2013 | #1,424 | 117 | 0.0062% |
| 2012 | #1,624 | 96 | 0.0051% |
| 2011 | #1,383 | 121 | 0.0064% |
| 2010 | #1,337 | 128 | 0.0067% |
| 2009 | #1,376 | 125 | 0.0063% |
| 2008 | #1,465 | 113 | 0.0055% |
| 2007 | #1,560 | 101 | 0.0049% |
| 2006 | #1,426 | 110 | 0.0054% |
| 2005 | #1,505 | 96 | 0.0048% |
| 2004 | #1,459 | 95 | 0.0048% |
| 2003 | #1,842 | 65 | 0.0033% |
| 2002 | #1,831 | 63 | 0.0032% |
| 2001 | #1,698 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 2000 | #2,254 | 44 | 0.0022% |
| 1999 | #2,096 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1998 | #1,929 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 1997 | #1,751 | 56 | 0.0030% |
| 1996 | #1,931 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 1995 | #2,136 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 1994 | #1,890 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 1993 | #1,902 | 44 | 0.0022% |
| 1992 | #2,171 | 36 | 0.0018% |
| 1991 | #1,614 | 53 | 0.0026% |
| 1990 | #1,942 | 40 | 0.0019% |
| 1989 | #2,148 | 33 | 0.0016% |
| 1988 | #2,432 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1987 | #1,678 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 1986 | #1,789 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 1985 | #2,169 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1984 | #2,031 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1983 | #1,900 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1982 | #2,825 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1981 | #1,991 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1980 | #2,108 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1979 | #3,164 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1978 | #2,565 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1977 | #3,593 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #3,251 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #3,421 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1974 | #4,165 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #3,211 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1972 | #2,981 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #4,357 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #3,814 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #3,580 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #2,730 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #2,974 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #4,587 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1961 | #3,330 | 8 | 0.0004% |
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 Tzvi Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Tzvi's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Tzvi's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.