Zilpha
Feminine · “a form of Zilpah”
Zilpha is the old American spelling of Zilpah, a name from Genesis that New England families kept alive long after most people had forgotten who she was. In the twentieth century a children's author carried it onto library shelves.
How old is the name Zilpha?
Zilpha was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Zilpha alive today was born around 1913, making them about 112 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Zilpha are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Zilpha most popular?
Zilpha peaked in 1888, reaching #612 nationally. See the whole 1888 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Zilpah to Zilpha
The story of Zilpha
Colonial and early American families in New England often reached past the familiar Bible names to the less-used ones, and Zilpah, Keziah and Jerusha appear in their records beside Mary and Sarah. Zilpha was one common spelling. The name's best-known modern bearer is Zilpha Keatley Snyder, whose novel The Egypt Game, about children who invent an ancient kingdom in a vacant lot, won a Newbery Honor and was read by generations of American children.
Meaningscholars disagree
a form of Zilpah, a name from Genesis
Zilpah was Leah's handmaid and the mother of Gad and Asher. The Hebrew meaning is uncertain; readings such as a trickle or a drop have been proposed but are not settled.
How the name formed
- Zilpah
- Zilpha
Related forms: Zilpah · Zilpah
Pronouncing Zilpha
ZIL-fuh
Stress on the first syllable; the ph says f.
Nicknames for Zilpha
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
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 191824 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #612reached in 1888
- Change vs 1941
- −45.5%6 in 1943, from 11
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.
Zilpha in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Zilpah in Hebrew — same name
- Zilpah in English — spelling variant
Zilphas among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Zilpha are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Zilpha sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has a real biblical and American history.
- It connects to a well-loved children's author.
- It is almost never given now, so it is distinctive.
- People will not know it and may ask whether it is invented.
- The ph may be read as p-h by some.
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What they receive
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Zilpha
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Zilphas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Zilpha are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Zilpha in 2025?
- Zilpha is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Zilpha with classmates?
- Zilpha will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More Z names
The most-given names starting with Z, all years combined.
Zoe#31 · Zoey#69 · Zara#212 · Zuri#328 · Zelma#6838 · Zelda#832 · Zariah#449 · Zella#1733
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zilpha? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Zilpha and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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