Zeth
Masculine · “appointed”
Zeth is Seth with the front letter changed, and the change is doing something specific: z is unambiguous where s is not. English s can be an s or a z depending on the word, and this name has always been said with the softer sound at the front. Writing it with a z simply removes the question, and Sweden has done the same thing for a long time.
How old is the name Zeth?
Zeth first appears in US birth records in 1977 — 48 years ago. The typical Zeth alive today was born around 2002, making them about 23 years old. About 1,200 people named Zeth are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zeth most popular?
Zeth peaked in 1999, reaching #1733 nationally. Today it ranks #12008, 10,275 places below that high. See the whole 1999 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Shet to Zeth
The story of Zeth
Seth is the third son in Genesis, and the line of descent that leads to Noah runs through him rather than through either of his brothers. The name went quiet through most of European history and came back with the English Protestants, who mined Genesis for names the saints' calendar could not supply. Sweden kept its own version, Zeth, which is a genuine and documented Swedish spelling rather than a modern American liberty. In the United States the z-version has been given steadily since the later twentieth century, most often in the Southwest and California.
Meaning
appointed, set in place
From Hebrew Shet. Genesis supplies the explanation as the name is given: after Cain kills Abel, Eve names her third son with a word meaning that God has appointed or set another child in place of the one she lost. The name is a statement about grief and replacement, which is not what most people expect from three letters.
How the name formed
- Shet
- Seth
- Zeth
Related forms: Shet · Zeth · Set · Shith
Pronouncing Zeth
ZETH
One syllable, rhyming with breath. The th is the soft one, as in think. Nothing about the spelling misleads an English reader, and the z guarantees the opening sound in a way the standard spelling does not.
Nicknames for Zeth
Limited
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
- 1977
- Most boys named
- 199959 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1733reached in 1999
- Change vs 2024
- −16.7%5 in 2025, from 6
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.
Zeth in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Shet in Hebrew — transliteration
- Zeth in Swedish — same name
- Set in Spanish — same name
- Shith in Arabic — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas.
Zeths among us
people named Zeth are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 341,615 born in 2025 was named Zeth
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 Sandford test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Zeth's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sandford climbed just as high around 1947, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sandford's path sketches the road Zeth is walking now.
Zeth 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
Zeth beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zeth in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters and one syllable — as compact as a name can be while still looking deliberate.
- The z fixes the opening sound, which is the practical argument for this spelling.
- The name behind it is documented in the oldest layer of the Hebrew scriptures.
- It is a standard Swedish spelling, so it is not an American invention.
- Seth is the standard spelling and will be written on most documents.
- The difference is inaudible, so the spelling must be dictated every time.
- It is short enough that there is nothing to shorten, which some children want and some do not.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Zeth to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Zeth? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Zeth
Masculine · #12008 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zeths are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,200 people named Zeth are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Zeth in 2025?
- Zeth ranks #12008 among US boy names in 2025, with 5 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zeth?
- About 1 in every 341,615 US boys born in 2025 was named Zeth — 5 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zeth with classmates?
- Zeth will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zeth
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Garfield#12008 · Chas#12008 · Lew#12008 · Barney#12008 · Dewitt#12008 · Granville#12008 · Cicero#12008 · Willam#12008
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zeth? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Zeth and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
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
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle