| Zahava | Yaffa | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gold, golden | Beautiful |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | zah-HAH-vah | YAH-fuh |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2024 (40) | 2025 (23) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Zahava | Yaffa |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 206 | 78 |
| 2010s | 265 | 105 |
| 2000s | 179 | 108 |
| 1990s | 103 | 56 |
| 1980s | 65 | 63 |
| 1970s | 30 | 48 |
| 1950s | 0 | 5 |
Hebrew name from 'zahav' (זָהָב), the ordinary word for gold, meaning 'golden' or 'golden one'. Variants include Zehava, Zahavah. Literal metal sense.
From Hebrew יָפֶה/יָפָה (yafeh/yafah) 'beautiful, lovely'. Yaffa (also Yafit) is a modern Hebrew beauty name; the same root names the city Jaffa ('the beautiful').
Zahava and Yaffa are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Zahava means gold, golden (hebrew origin), while Yaffa means Beautiful (hebrew origin).
In US records, Zahava first appears in 0 and Yaffa in 0, so Zahava has the longer recorded history.