Fun Facts About the Name Yedidya
- 152 babies named Yedidya: U.S. records list 152 babies given the name Yedidya from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Yedidya Mean?
Yedidya is a Hebrew name meaning "beloved of the LORD" or "friend of God." It is built from two elements: yadid (יָדִיד), meaning "beloved" or "friend," and Yah (יָהּ), a shortened form of the divine name YHWH. A longer Hebrew form, Yedidyahu (יְדִידְיָהוּ), attaches the fuller ending -yahu ("the LORD") to the same first element; both forms carry the same sense. The name is not related in origin to David or to the word dodi ("my beloved"), which come from a different Hebrew root.
Yedidya Name History & Origins
The name appears in the Hebrew Bible in 2 Samuel 12:25, where the prophet Nathan gives it to Solomon after his birth. The verse explains the name through the LORD's love for the child, and the Masoretic text preserves a written form Yedidyah alongside a read form (qere) Yedidyahu. The biblical narrative treats Yedidya as a second, throne-adjacent name for Solomon, whose usual name in the text is Solomon (Shlomo).
Because the name entered English Bibles through Greek and Latin transliteration, it is best known in English as Jedidiah, with the spellings Jedediah and Yedidiah also used. English translations of 2 Samuel 12:25 normally print "Jedidiah." The form Jedidiah was used as a given name in English-speaking Protestant communities, especially in North America, while Yedidya itself remains a Hebrew given name used in Israel and in Jewish communities elsewhere.
A feminine relative, Jedidah (יְדִידָה), built from the same word yadid, appears in 2 Kings 22:1 as the name of the mother of King Josiah. In modern Hebrew, the root also yields yedidut ("friendship").
How Popular is the Name Yedidya?
Yedidya 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 2019. Its best rank was #6,515 in 1985.
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 | #10,642 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #12,250 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #8,226 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #8,264 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #14,000 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #13,973 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #7,622 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #8,787 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #9,655 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #12,126 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #10,593 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #10,668 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #8,755 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #14,163 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #12,441 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #8,300 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #10,883 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #12,010 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #10,321 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #8,217 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #6,515 | 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 Yedidya Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
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.
✦ Yedidya's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yedidya's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.