Boy · #174 in 2026

Judah

Judah is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin. It is the English form of Yehudah, the Hebrew name of the biblical figure Judah, founder of the Tribe of Judah and thus, the eponym of the Kingdom of Judah and the Jews.

Current Rank
#174
Peak Rank
#174 (2021)
Total Babies
38K
5-Yr Trend
+1%
1988
First Year
2026
Last Year
2020
Peak Year
#3088
Peak Rank
889
Total Count
35
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Judah

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Judah is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin. It is the English form of Yehudah, the Hebrew name of the biblical figure Judah, founder of the Tribe of Judah and thus, the eponym of the Kingdom of Judah and the Jews.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
The Hebrew name for Judah, Yehuda (יהודה), literally "thanksgiving" or "praise," is a variant form of the root Y-D-H (ידה), "to thank" or "to praise." His birth is recorded at Gen. 29:35; upon his birth, Leah exclaims, "This time I will praise the LORD / YHWH ," with the Hebrew word for "I will praise," odeh (אודה) sharing the same root as Yehuda . Alternatively, Edward Lipiński connected Hebrew yĕhūdā with Arabic whd / wahda "cleft, ravine". Jude is an English form of the name.

The Story of Judah

Judah first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1912, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 2,133 Judahs were born — ranking #182 that year. As of 2026, Judah ranks #174 for baby boys with 2,065 births, holding steady (+1%). In total, more than 38K Judahs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
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WI
MI
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VT
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MA
OR
ID
SD
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IL
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OH
PA
NJ
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RI
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MD
DE
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Top 10
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No data

Notable people named Judah

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Saint Jude (Thaddeus) the Apostle , one of Twelve ,
  • Saint Jude, brother of Jesus , one of Seventy-two ,
  • Saint Justus (Jude) of Jerusalem , third Bishop of Jerusalem ,
  • Saint Jude Barsabbas , prophet, Church leader,
  • Saint Jude , one of Holy Maccabean Martyrs ,
  • Saint Jude Cyriacus , bishop of Ancona ,
  • Saint Jude Machabeus , priest and leader,
  • Saint Jude, son of Jacob , Old Testament patriarch,

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Judah

Phonetically similar names — useful when Judah is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Judah

What does the name Judah mean?
Judah is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin. It is the English form of Yehudah, the Hebrew name of the biblical figure Judah, founder of the Tribe of Judah and thus, the eponym of the Kingdom of Judah and the Jews.
How popular is Judah in 2026?
In 2026, Judah ranks #174 among boys' names in the U.S., with 2,065 babies given the name that year.
When was Judah most popular?
Judah reached its peak popularity in 2021, ranking #174 that year with 2,133 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Judah most popular?
Judah has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Oklahoma, Tennessee. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Judah.
Is Judah a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Judah is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Judah?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Judah include Marco, Adonis, Augustus. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Judah

Judah is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 38K births in the dataset. Judah's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #174. Use the chart and map above to compare Judah's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.