Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2021

Zalman

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #4,855 Trend ↑ Rising 37%

Zalman, occasionally Zalmen is a Yiddish-language variant of Solomon.

Rank 2025
#4,855
among boys · ↓427 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
21
named Zalman · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 81,337
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
27 babies
All-time total
687
#6,525 all-time among boys
First recorded
1949
in Social Security records

Zalman popularity over time

687 babies have been named Zalman since 1949, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.010.020.0218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2021Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s 6 1 – #3,686
1950s 10 1 +67% #4,358
1960s 21 2 +110% #4,063
1970s 47 5 +124% #3,856
1980s 76 8 +62% #3,522
1990s 98 10 +29% #4,393
2000s 138 14 +41% #4,804
2010s 162 16 +17% #4,542
2020s (to 2025) 129 22 +33% #4,008

Where Zalman is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 22 0.01 outside top 500
2027 22 0.01 outside top 500
2028 23 0.01 outside top 500
2029 24 0.01 outside top 500
2030 24 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Zalman

Zalman is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #4,855 in 2025 with 21 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1949, 687 American babies have been named Zalman. Its peak came in 2021, when 27 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Zalman stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Zalman?

The median living Zalman is about 18 years old; half are between 7 and 33. An estimated 700 people named Zalman are alive in the United States today.

median 18 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Zalman year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 21 #4,855
2024 24 #4,428
2023 26 #4,216
2022 19 #5,209
2021 27 #4,008
2020 12 #7,029
2019 21 #4,803
2018 20 #4,915
2017 14 #6,329
2016 18 #5,309
2015 22 #4,542
2014 18 #5,249
2013 5 #14,023
2012 18 #5,251
2011 8 #9,579
2010 18 #5,244
2009 18 #5,327
2008 13 #6,757
2007 20 #4,804
2006 14 #6,089
2005 16 #5,277
2004 13 #6,133
2003 9 #7,817
2002 12 #6,079
2001 13 #5,660
2000 10 #6,831
1995 8 #6,988
1990 8 #6,410
1985 8 #5,145
1980 5 #7,288
1975 6 #5,456
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Zalman

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Zalman King Zalman King American director, writer, producer, actor (1941–2012) Contemporary
  2. 2 Zalman Shazar Zalman Shazar President of Israel from 1963 to 1973 1889–1974 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Zalman, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Zalman?

The median living Zalman is about 18 years old. Half of all living Zalmans are between 7 and 33 years old.

How many people named Zalman are alive today?

An estimated 700 people named Zalman are alive in the United States, based on 687 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Zalman mean?

Zalman, occasionally Zalmen is a Yiddish-language variant of Solomon.

How popular is the name Zalman in 2025?

Zalman ranked #4,855 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 21 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Zalman?

687 babies have been named Zalman in the United States since 1949, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Zalman most popular?

Zalman peaked in 2021, when 27 newborns received the name.

Is Zalman a boy or girl name?

Zalman is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Zalman rising or falling?

Zalman is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Zalman become more popular?

Zalman is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 24 boys named Zalman in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Zalman?

Well-known people named Zalman include Zalman King (film director), Zalman Shazar (politician).

Names like Zalman

Names that sound and feel close to Zalman: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Zalman with similar names → More names starting with Z →