Given name & surname
Zelig
“one who is blessed”
In Jewish use, Zelig has a related form in Selig. One German interpretation is “one who is blessed.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Zelig carries the interpretation “one who is blessed.” In Jewish use, Zelig has a related form in Selig. One German interpretation is “one who is blessed.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
How it developed
In Jewish use, Zelig is used as a variant of Selig.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1995. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Zelig through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 190
- 190 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 12 babies
- 2025
- 9
- #8,900 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +46%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,900 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 226 as a first name in 2020; 134 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.
Zelig’s family of names
Zelig has a related form in Selig. Zelig is a form of Selig. Zelig has a related form in Zeligg.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Zelig
- Zelig EshharIsraeli immunologist (1941–2025)
- Zelig KalmanovichLithuanian philologist and historian (1881–1944)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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