Rising since 2012, #5,045 for boys today.
Popularity of Yahweh since 2010
Babies named Yahweh per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 2010s | 50 |
| 2020s | 76 |
Meaning & origin
The name Yahweh is the most direct English representation of the tetragrammaton YHWH, the sacred personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible. It has seen occasional use as a given name in the United States, first recorded in 2010. By 2025, it ranked 5,045 with a frequency of 1 in 89,899 male births. Its trajectory has been rising since 2012, reaching its peak rank in 2024. While still rare, the name carries profound religious weight and is chosen almost exclusively by families seeking to honor the divine name from scripture. The lack of top states among its sparse usage suggests it is dispersed rather than concentrated regionally. Given its sacred origin, the name remains deeply unconventional as a given name and is likely to be met with strong reactions, both positive and negative, due to its direct reference to God in Judaism and Christianity.
Yahweh is the reconstructed pronunciation of the tetragrammaton YHWH, the sacred name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The original pronunciation was lost after the Second Temple period, as Jewish tradition forbade uttering the name, substituting Adonai ('my Lord') instead. The form 'Yahweh' emerged from scholarly reconstruction based on Greek transcriptions and Samaritan tradition.
Sibling names for Yahweh
Names that share Yahweh's style, for a brother or sister.
