Given name
Zilpah
“a drop”
Zilpah is a feminine given name from Hebrew.
Original Hebrewזלפה
Meaning & origin
What it means
As a biblical name, Zilpah means “a drop.”
From biblical name research
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From the Hebrew verb zalaph (זלף), “to drip or sprinkle.”
From biblical name research
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. 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 Zilpah appears in Genesis 29:24.
From biblical name research
Zilpah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9
- 0 boys · 9 girls
- Most popular year
- 1881
- 9 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 9 in 1881. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Zilpah’s family of names
Zilpah has a related form in Zilpha. Zilpah has a related form in Zilpa. Zilpah has a related form in Zilphah.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Zilpah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Zeruah
“leprous” · “bi-colored”
>99% girls
Imna
“he keeps back” · “he withholds”
5% boys · 95% girls
Iscah
“she will weave a cover” · “she will look out”
20% boys · 80% girls
Telah
“fracture”
>99% girls
Mima
“our little dove” · “dove”
>99% girls
Iza
Iza is a feminine given name from Polish, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew. It is used in Polish, Hungarian, and Slovak.
3% boys · 97% girls
Léa
“languid”
>99% girls
Timna
“restraint”
1% boys · 99% girls