Zipporah

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Girl · Hebrew

Zipporah

Say it: zih-POR-uh

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Hebrew Tsipporah, 'bird', from tsippor 'bird'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Used in Puritan New England and among Jewish families, in Israel as Tzipora.

Its wave through time

Popular now

In the United States

2,270 babies given this name since 1912
At its height in 2018, about 1 in 19,700 girls
62 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

Hebrew Early Christian English American French

The family of the name

Other spellings: Zipora, Tziporah

French	Séphora
Spanish	Séfora
Italian	Sefora
German	Zippora
Hebrew	Tzipora

Famous bearers

Zipporah, wife of Moses

Names worth a look

VashtiGirlUncertain. Probably Persian, often linked to a word meaning 'best' or 'beautiful', but not settled.Biblical · peak 1902 · forgotten

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MahalaGirlUncertain. From the biblical Mahlah or Mahalath; the root may mean 'weakness, sickness' or something else entirely,…Biblical · peak 1882 · forgotten

JemimaGirlHebrew Yemimah, a daughter of Job; usually explained as 'dove'.Biblical · peak 1885

KeturahGirlHebrew Qeturah, usually connected with qetoret 'incense'.Biblical · peak 1982 · forgotten

JerushaGirlHebrew Yerusha, usually read as 'possession, inheritance'.Biblical · peak 1882 · forgotten

SpyridonBoyUncertain. Perhaps from Greek spyris 'basket', or from Latin spiritus 'spirit'.Early Medieval

SpuriusBoyOrigin uncertain. Ancient writers connected it with spurius 'of unknown father', but scholars doubt this, and an…Rome · forgotten

Where this comes from

The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
Puritan church and town records of England and New England
Colonial records of the Americas
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.