Zaven
Masculine
Zaven is an Armenian name in steady use for a century, and its origin is genuinely argued — a Persian source and an Armenian one have both been proposed and neither settled.
How old is the name Zaven?
Zaven first appears in US birth records in 1918 — 107 years ago. The typical Zaven alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 500 people named Zaven are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zaven most popular?
Zaven peaked in 1922, reaching #2801 nationally. Today it ranks #3757, 956 places below that high. See the whole 1922 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Zaven
Ours, offered as ours. Armenian naming draws on several layers — native Armenian, Persian borrowings from centuries of contact, Greek and Syriac Christian names — and Zaven sits in a part of the stock where the layers are hard to separate. What is certain is that it has been a real Armenian men's name for well over a century, that an Armenian patriarch of Constantinople carried it through the years of the genocide, and that its meaning has resisted explanation.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No settled derivation. Readings offered include a Persian source connected to a word for a chief or lord, and an Armenian one; neither is established. The name is well documented in Armenian use from the nineteenth century onward.
Pronouncing Zaven
zah-VEN
Two syllables with the stress on the second. English speakers often say ZAY-ven.
Nicknames for Zaven
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
- 1918
- Most boys named
- 200929 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2801reached in 1922
- Change vs 2024
- +20.8%29 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.
Zaven in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Զավեն in Armenian — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: California.
Zavens among us
people named Zaven are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 58,899 born in 2025 was named Zaven
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Zaven 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
Where Zaven is headed
Zaven should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Zaven beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zaven in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It begins with Z, which keeps it distinct on any list.
- Five letters and two syllables, easy to write and to say.
- It carries Armenian identity clearly, which is the point for the families who use it.
- The stress moves to the front in English mouths.
- There is no documented meaning, which is unusual for a name this well established.
- Outside the Armenian community it needs explaining every time.
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What they receive
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Zaven
Masculine · #3757 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zavens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Zaven are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Zaven in 2025?
- Zaven ranks #3757 among US boy names in 2025, with 29 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zaven?
- About 1 in every 58,899 US boys born in 2025 was named Zaven — 29 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zaven with classmates?
- Zaven will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zaven
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Stanton#3757 · Reymundo#3757 · Greer#3757 · Kelson#3757 · Javin#3757 · Faizan#3757 · Shakur#3757 · Wilfred#3757
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zaven? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Zaven and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
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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