Declining since 2017, #8,910 for boys today.
Popularity of Zed since 1882
Babies named Zed per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2018, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Zed's real moment was 1894.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 10 |
| 1890s | 12 |
| 1900s | 0 |
| 1910s | 25 |
| 1920s | 24 |
| 1930s | 19 |
| 1940s | 16 |
| 1950s | 6 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 23 |
| 1980s | 62 |
| 1990s | 40 |
| 2000s | 52 |
| 2010s | 100 |
| 2020s | 65 |
Meaning & origin
Zed is a name of uncertain origin, possibly linked to the letter Z or the biblical Zedekiah. It first appeared in U.S. records in 1882, and its peak year came in 1894. Since 2017, its usage has been falling, and in 2025 it ranked 8,910th, with only about one in 213,510 newborns receiving the name. Zed has not been recorded in any top state lists, remaining a rare choice throughout its history.
Zed is primarily an English given name, often used as a short form of Zedekiah or a variant of the letter Z. In Hebrew tradition, Zedekiah (meaning 'the Lord is righteous') was a biblical king of Judah. The name saw sporadic usage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States, particularly in the 1890s.
Sibling names for Zed
Names that share Zed's style, for a brother or sister.
