Fun Facts About the Name Zvi
- 675 babies named Zvi: U.S. records list 675 babies given the name Zvi from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zvi Mean?
Zvi is a Hebrew name meaning "gazelle," from the Hebrew noun tsvi (צְבִי), the ordinary word for a gazelle or deer. In Biblical Hebrew the same word also carried a poetic sense of "splendor," "beauty," or "glory," as in Eretz Tsevi, a poetic name for the Land of Israel, and Tsevi Yisrael, "the glory of Israel." The literal meaning of the name is the animal; the "glory" sense is a related figurative use of that same word rather than a separate origin.
Zvi Name History & Origins
The Hebrew word tsvi is common in the Bible as a noun for the gazelle and, in poetry, for splendor, but the Bible does not use it as a man's personal name. A related feminine form does appear: Tzivyah (צִבְיָה) is given in 2 Chronicles 24:1 as the name of the mother of King Joash. As a male given name, Zvi became established in Jewish communities, especially Ashkenazi ones in Central and Eastern Europe. There it was often paired with the Yiddish or German name Hirsch, which means "deer" or "hart," following the old Ashkenazi practice of matching a Hebrew name with a vernacular name of the same meaning; the result was compound names such as Zvi Hirsch. Zvi also appears joined to other Hebrew names, as in Naftali Zvi.
One widely known bearer was Shabbetai Zvi (1626 - 1676), the messianic claimant whose movement spread through Jewish communities in Europe and the Ottoman Empire in the seventeenth century. In modern times Zvi is a common Hebrew given name in Israel. Its feminine counterpart is Tzivyah, sometimes shortened to Tzivia.
How Popular is the Name Zvi?
Zvi 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 1977. Its best rank was #2,468 in 1967.
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 | #8,242 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #8,286 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #5,923 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #8,291 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #14,085 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #6,614 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #8,883 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #5,769 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #6,678 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #6,720 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #10,636 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #5,994 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #8,784 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #7,044 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #10,799 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #7,589 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #8,979 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #9,014 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #7,091 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #7,423 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #6,222 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #13,221 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #7,826 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #8,453 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #9,242 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #6,837 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #6,528 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #6,099 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #9,012 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #8,865 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #8,797 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #10,170 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #7,420 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #7,270 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,490 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #6,939 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #4,449 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #3,957 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #4,456 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,786 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #3,107 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1983 | #4,498 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #3,964 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #4,508 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #5,524 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #2,895 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #3,612 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #2,790 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1976 | #3,723 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #2,902 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1974 | #3,319 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #2,856 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #4,985 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #3,281 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #3,061 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #2,735 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #2,468 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1965 | #3,929 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #3,601 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #3,644 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #2,707 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #2,685 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1959 | #2,662 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #3,031 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #2,630 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1956 | #4,454 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1955 | #3,504 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #2,903 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1952 | #3,733 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #3,713 | 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 Zvi 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 intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Zvi's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zvi's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.