Fun Facts About the Name Zahava
- 846 babies named Zahava: U.S. records list 846 babies given the name Zahava from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zahava Mean?
Zahava is a Hebrew feminine name meaning "gold" or "golden." It is formed from the Hebrew noun zahav (זָהָב), the ordinary word for the metal gold, with the feminine ending -a added. The literal sense is simply the metal itself; the name is also commonly understood in the descriptive sense of "golden," that is, bright or shining like gold. The spelling Zehava reflects the same word with a slightly different transliteration of the first vowel. The related masculine name Zehavi comes from the same root but is a different formation. Zahava is a Hebrew-language name and is not borrowed from another language or culture.
Zahava Name History & Origins
Zahava rests on a very old Hebrew word. Zahav, gold, appears throughout the Hebrew Bible in descriptions of the Tabernacle, the Temple in Jerusalem, and royal treasure, so the vocabulary behind the name is ancient. The feminine given name formed from it, however, belongs to Modern Hebrew - the revived spoken language that took hold from the late nineteenth century onward, first among Jewish communities in Palestine and later in the State of Israel. As Hebrew was reestablished as an everyday language, many given names were drawn from ordinary Hebrew nouns, including words for metals, plants, and natural features, and Zahava is one of the feminine names created from that stock by adding the ending -a to zahav.
The name today is used mainly in Israel and among Hebrew-speaking Jewish families, where it is spelled זהבה. The spelling Zehava, which reflects a different transliteration of the same Hebrew letters, is also found in English-language settings. Because gold carries longstanding associations with value and radiance, the name is sometimes explained in those terms, but that is a customary reading rather than a separate etymology.
How Popular is the Name Zahava?
Zahava 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 2020. Its best rank was #3,775 in 2020.
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 | #4,350 | 33 | 0.0021% |
| 2024 | #3,947 | 38 | 0.0024% |
| 2023 | #5,243 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #4,464 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 2021 | #4,007 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 2020 | #3,775 | 39 | 0.0024% |
| 2019 | #4,002 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 2018 | #4,556 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2017 | #5,511 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2016 | #4,529 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2015 | #4,977 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2014 | #5,160 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2013 | #7,363 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #5,549 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #6,329 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2010 | #5,976 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2009 | #6,801 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #7,066 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2007 | #5,519 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2006 | #6,348 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #6,525 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2004 | #6,209 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2003 | #5,584 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2002 | #8,828 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #10,092 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #9,859 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1999 | #7,233 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #6,714 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #7,125 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #8,074 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #8,121 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #11,775 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,061 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #7,984 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #8,492 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #8,033 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #9,236 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #13,247 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #9,536 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,209 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #9,230 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #12,186 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #5,909 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #10,203 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #7,561 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #10,905 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #8,766 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #9,800 | 5 | 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 Zahava Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have aspiration and inspiration, hope and guidance. Since you are intuitive and perceptive and you understand human nature. You have the power to achieve. Diplomacy and discretion make you a good mediator. You are inspired, introspective, and have a good understanding of the human heart. You can have the ability to commercialize your artistic talents successfully. You are often a mystery to others and to yourself. You are always reaching for something higher, without exactly knowing what that "higher" is. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
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.
✦ Zahava's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zahava's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.