UK boy's name
Zev
A masculine Hebrew name derived from Ze'ev, meaning "wolf".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Zev is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Zev popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1951, with 12 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 19 births.
This profile covers 242 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 63% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 240 living people in the UK are called Zev. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Zev ranked #1951 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 12 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2016, when 19 boys were registered as Zev.
- • About 240 living people in the UK are estimated to have Zev as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1951
2024
Births in 2024
12
Latest year
Peak year
2016
19 births
Estimated living
240
2026
Meaning
What does Zev mean?
The name Zev is a Hebrew name derived from the biblical Hebrew word "ze'ev," which means "wolf." It is a name that has been in use since ancient times in the Jewish community.
The earliest recorded use of the name Zev can be traced back to biblical times, where it is mentioned in the Book of Genesis as the name of one of the sons of Judah. In the Bible, Zev is referred to as "Zerah," which is a variant spelling of the same name.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Zev. One of the earliest known was Zev ben Shushan, a Jewish scholar who lived in Persia in the 5th century CE. He was known for his contributions to the study of the Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism.
Another notable figure with the name Zev was Zev Wolf Kitzes, a Polish-born Jewish writer and journalist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a prolific author and a prominent figure in the Zionist movement, advocating for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the name Zev was Zev Vilnay, an Israeli geographer and historian who was born in 1900 and died in 1988. He was a pioneering scholar of the geography and history of the Land of Israel and authored numerous books on the subject.
Another notable Zev was Zev Yaroslavsky, a Russian-born American politician who served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1994 to 2014. He was born in 1948 and was a prominent figure in local politics in Los Angeles.
More recently, Zev Chafets, an American-born Israeli author and journalist, has gained recognition for his biographies of prominent political figures, including Roger Ailes and Rush Limbaugh. He was born in 1947 and has published numerous books on politics and culture.
While the name Zev has its roots in ancient Hebrew, it has remained a popular name among Jewish communities throughout history and continues to be used today, carrying with it a rich cultural and linguistic heritage.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Zev over time
The chart below shows babies named Zev registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Zev, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 12 births in 2024, compared with 19 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zev by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Zev was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1708 | 71 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2138 | 107 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2496 | 58 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2903 | 6 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Zev
- Zachary 29,362
- Zak 9,988
- Zain 7,620
- Zac 7,272
- Zack 7,101
- Zakariya 5,447
- Zach 4,754
- Zayn 4,326
- Zachariah 3,234
- Zion 3,141
- Zane 2,818
- Zayd 2,609
FAQ
Zev: questions and answers
How popular is the name Zev in the UK right now?
In 2024, Zev was ranked #1951 for boys in England and Wales, with 12 births registered.
When was Zev most popular?
The peak year on record was 2016, with 19 babies registered as Zev in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Zev?
A masculine Hebrew name derived from Ze'ev, meaning "wolf".
How many people are called Zev in the UK?
A total of 242 babies have been registered as Zev across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.