Zalman
Masculine · “peace”
Zalman is the Yiddish form of Solomon, and the Hebrew name is built on shalom — peace, or rather wholeness.
How old is the name Zalman?
Zalman first appears in US birth records in 1949 — 76 years ago. The typical Zalman alive today was born around 2006, making them about 19 years old. About 700 people named Zalman are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zalman most popular?
Zalman peaked in 1949, reaching #3298 nationally. Today it ranks #4707, 1,409 places below that high. See the whole 1949 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Shlomo to Zalman
The story of Zalman
Shneur Zalman of Liadi founded Chabad Hasidism at the end of the eighteenth century and wrote the Tanya, which set out a philosophical system rather than a devotional one — he was arrested twice by the Russian authorities on denunciations from opponents. His name made Zalman standard in Chabad families. The Hebrew shalom is closer to intactness than to quiet.
Meaning
peace, wholeness
From Hebrew Shlomo, on shalom, which means completeness and soundness as much as the absence of war. Yiddish reshaped it to Zalman, and the pair Shneur Zalman was a common double name.
How the name formed
- Shlomo
- Zalman
Related forms: Zalman · Shlomo · Solomon
Pronouncing Zalman
ZAL-mun
Two syllables, first stressed. There is little variation.
Nicknames for Zalman
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1949
- Most boys named
- 202127 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3298reached in 1949
- Change vs 2024
- −12.5%21 in 2025, from 24
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Zalman in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Zalman in Yiddish — same name
- Shlomo in Hebrew — related form
- Solomon in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, New Jersey.
Zalmans among us
people named Zalman are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 81,337 born in 2025 was named Zalman
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Gonsalo test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Zalman's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Gonsalo climbed just as high around 1930, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Gonsalo's path sketches the road Zalman is walking now.
Zalman sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Zalman beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zalman in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning that is broader and better than the English peace.
- Zalmy is a warm short form already in community use.
- Solomon stands behind it as a fuller and very familiar option.
- It is entirely unfamiliar outside Jewish communities in America.
- Six letters and two syllables, manageable but not short.
- The connection to Solomon is invisible to anyone who does not know it.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Zalman
Masculine · #4707 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zalmans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Zalman are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Zalman in 2025?
- Zalman ranks #4707 among US boy names in 2025, with 21 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zalman?
- About 1 in every 81,337 US boys born in 2025 was named Zalman — 21 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zalman with classmates?
- Zalman will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zalman
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ole#4707 · Shelton#4707 · Constantino#4707 · Adel#4707 · Cord#4707 · Montez#4707 · Kalani#4707 · Homer#4707
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zalman? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Zalman and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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