Given name

Zev

“resembling a wolf”

Zev is a variant of Ze'ev. One Hebrew interpretation is “resembling a wolf.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

Zev is a variant of Ze'ev. One Hebrew interpretation is “resembling a wolf.”

Explained through its name family

Where it comes from

Zev is a variant of Ze'ev. An origin associated with Ze'ev is Hebrew.

Explained through its name family

How it developed

From Hebrew זאב (ze'év, “wolf”).

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1951. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Zev through the years

Babies since 1880
5,153
5,153 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
2025
277 babies
2025
277
#866 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20
+26%
Rising
0501001502001960198020002025Highest share 2025162
Zev in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1951–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inNew York, New Jersey, California
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: New York (112), New Jersey (46), California (25).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 277 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 866 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 25.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (112). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,408 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Zev’s family of names

Zev has a related form in Ze'ev.

Walk Zev’s family in the name graph

ZevZe'ev

The ring: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 1

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

People named Zev

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Zev, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

African · Modern

Zaire

“a, man from Zaire”

60FamiliarRising

97% boys · 3% girls

Arabic · Modern

Zayn

“one who is bold”

69FamiliarRising

99% boys · 1% girls

Modern

Zyaire

“a, man from Zaire”

66FamiliarRising fast

96% boys · 4% girls

surnames · Modern

Zayne

“one who is bold”

60FamiliarSteady

99% boys · 1% girls

Modern

Eiden

59FamiliarRising fast

>99% boys

 

Truett

Truett is a masculine given name.

59FamiliarRising fast

98% boys · 2% girls

English

Wells

“from the springs”

65FamiliarRising fast

98% boys · 2% girls

Modern

Chozen

60FamiliarRising fast

87% boys · 13% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Zev’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.