Given name & surname
Judah
“praised”·“one who praises God”
Judah is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “praised” and “one who praises God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewיהודה
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “praised” and “one who praises God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Judah appears in Genesis 29:35, Genesis 35:22, Genesis 34:25 and 1 other passage.
- Genesis 29:35
- Genesis 35:22
- Genesis 34:25
- Ezra 3:9
From biblical name research
Judah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 36,431
- 35,578 boys · 853 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 2,178 babies
- 2025
- 2,091
- #178 for boys · #3,674 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +7%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,050 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 178 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 6.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 41 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (207). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 21,541 as a first name in 2020; 1,123 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Judah’s family of names
Judah shares a linguistic root with Yehuda. Judah has a related form in Jude. Judah has a related form in Judson.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Judah has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
5 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Judevariant
- Judsonvariant
- Juddvariant
- Judasvariant · English
- Judavariant · German, Polish
- Judvariant
- Juddahlikely variant
- Judsenvariant
Show 1 moreShow fewer
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 23
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Judithshares a root
- Judeashares a root
- Aryesee also
- Eliudshares a root
- Jedaiahshares a root
- Ehudshares a root
- Vaniahshares a root
- Ohadshares a root
Show 15 moreShow fewer
People named Judah
- Judah HaleviSpanish-Jewish philosopher, poet and physician (c.1075–1141)
- Judah P. BenjaminAmerican politician and lawyer (1811-1884)
- Judah FriedlanderAmerican actor and comedianborn 1969
- Judah LewisAmerican actorborn 2001
- Judah KyriakosJewish bishop of Jerusalem
- Judah Leon MagnesAmerican rabbi (1877-1948)
- Judah DanaMaine statesman1772–1845
- Judah GarcíaTrinidad and Tobago footballerborn 2000
- Judah IIRabbi and Prince of the Sanhedrin.300–270
Characters named Judah: Judah Ben-Hur (Lew Wallace's 1880 novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ").
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Judah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Asa
“doctor, healer” · “born in the morning”
89% boys · 11% girls
Micah
“who is like (Yahweh)?”
93% boys · 7% girls
Ezra
“help” · “one who is helpful”
95% boys · 5% girls
Zion
“from the citadel”
93% boys · 7% girls
Axel
“source of life; small oak” · “axe”
>99% boys
Noah
“rest” · “to comfort”
98% boys · 2% girls
Jeremiah
“appointed by God” · “one who is exalted by the Lord”
>99% boys
Ezekiel
“God strengthens” · “strengthened by God”
>99% boys