Fun Facts About the Name Zera
- 703 babies named Zera: U.S. records list 703 babies given the name Zera from 1880 through 2025. Even 10 boys received the name Zera - about 1 boy for every 69 girls.
What Does the Name Zera Mean?
Zera is a Hebrew name meaning "seed" or "offspring." It comes from the Hebrew noun זֶרַע (zera'), which in the Hebrew Bible is used for seed, sowing, and descendants, as in the phrase "the seed of Abraham." The literal sense is agricultural and genealogical, not symbolic: seed as what is sown, and seed as children and posterity.
A different explanation treats Zera as a spelling of the biblical name Zerah (Hebrew זֶרַח), the twin brother of Perez in the Book of Genesis. That name comes from a separate root, z-r-ḥ, meaning "to shine" or "to rise," and is usually understood as "rising" or "brightness." Because Hebrew z-r-' ("seed") and z-r-ḥ ("shine") are different roots, the similar English spellings do not by themselves show a shared origin.
A related but separate tradition uses the Semitic root z-r-' in Ge'ez and Amharic, the languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea, where it also means "seed" or "offspring" and forms part of compound names.
Zera Name History & Origins
Zera comes into English chiefly through the transliteration of Hebrew. In Hebrew the word זֶרַע (zera') is an ordinary noun for seed and descendants, and it is familiar from both the Bible and everyday modern Hebrew speech. The name is used in Hebrew-speaking and Jewish settings, where it is understood in that literal sense rather than as a symbolic label.
A distinct tradition comes from the Horn of Africa. In Ge'ez and Amharic, the same Semitic root z-r-' means "seed" or "offspring" and appears inside compound personal names. The best-known example is the seventeenth-century Ethiopian philosopher Zera Yacob, whose name is an English rendering of Zar'a Ya'qob, meaning "seed of Jacob." Standing alone, Zera can serve as a shortened form of such a compound name.
Because English has no single standard system for transliterating Hebrew and Ge'ez, the spelling Zera also appears as an alternative rendering of the biblical name Zerah, which belongs to a different Hebrew root.
How Popular is the Name Zera?
Zera 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 1921. Its best rank was #1,103 in 1909.
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 | #7,483 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #8,914 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2023 | #8,977 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #7,622 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #9,554 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #9,536 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #7,708 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #7,753 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #8,772 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #10,103 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #12,988 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #16,483 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #13,130 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #16,831 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #13,334 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #19,799 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #20,164 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #12,566 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #20,545 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #20,036 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #18,071 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #16,146 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #12,953 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #6,898 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #8,288 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #9,645 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #5,827 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #5,750 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #5,409 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #5,242 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #4,343 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #5,685 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #4,052 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1942 | #4,121 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1939 | #3,780 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1938 | #4,993 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #3,798 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1935 | #4,203 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1931 | #3,495 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1929 | #5,277 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1928 | #3,434 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1927 | #3,873 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1926 | #4,848 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #2,775 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1924 | #3,143 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1923 | #2,365 | 16 | 0.0013% |
| 1922 | #2,290 | 17 | 0.0014% |
| 1921 | #1,866 | 23 | 0.0019% |
| 1920 | #2,589 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1919 | #3,449 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1918 | #2,819 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1917 | #2,315 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1916 | #2,132 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1915 | #1,799 | 19 | 0.0019% |
| 1914 | #2,431 | 10 | 0.0013% |
| 1913 | #1,600 | 15 | 0.0024% |
| 1912 | #1,718 | 12 | 0.0022% |
| 1911 | #1,449 | 12 | 0.0029% |
| 1910 | #1,771 | 9 | 0.0023% |
| 1909 | #1,103 | 15 | 0.0043% |
| 1908 | #1,674 | 8 | 0.0024% |
| 1907 | #1,141 | 13 | 0.0041% |
| 1906 | #1,228 | 11 | 0.0037% |
| 1905 | #2,230 | 5 | 0.0017% |
| 1904 | #1,657 | 7 | 0.0025% |
| 1902 | #1,790 | 6 | 0.0023% |
| 1901 | #1,226 | 9 | 0.0038% |
| 1900 | #1,559 | 8 | 0.0027% |
| 1899 | #1,594 | 6 | 0.0026% |
| 1898 | #1,698 | 6 | 0.0023% |
| 1897 | #1,551 | 6 | 0.0026% |
| 1896 | #1,578 | 6 | 0.0025% |
| 1895 | #1,591 | 6 | 0.0026% |
| 1894 | #1,484 | 6 | 0.0027% |
| 1893 | #1,651 | 5 | 0.0023% |
| 1890 | #1,534 | 5 | 0.0026% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | #4,988 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #4,532 | 5 | 0.0006% |
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 Zera 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 have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
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.
✦ Zera's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zera's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.