Yehuda
Yehuda was the 741st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 351 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 721st with 365 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 200 places. More babies were named Yehuda in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Judah; 'praised' · Hebrew
Say it yeh-HOO-dah /jəˈhudə/
- Rank in 2025
- #741 boys, up 89 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 351boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024365 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,885babies recorded
What does the name Yehuda mean?
Yehuda is the Hebrew form of Judah (Yehudah), the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. In Genesis 29:35 Leah names him with the words 'This time I will praise the LORD', linking the name to the Hebrew verb for 'praise, give thanks' (y-d-h). Scholars accept the link to that root, though the exact formation is debated. The same name gives Judas and Jude, and through the tribe and kingdom of Judah it also gave the words Judea and Jew.
יְהוּדָה (Yehudah) (Biblical Hebrew, “Judah”)י־ד־ה (y-d-h) (Hebrew, “to praise, thank”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Bible's explanation is a wordplay on 'praise'; most scholars accept a link to that root, but the precise form is uncertain.
Related names: Judah, Jude, Judas, Yehudah.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Yehuda', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 29:35 (Sefaria, with JPS translation), Sefaria
- Wiktionary, entry 'Judah', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Yehuda popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #741 | 351 |
| 2020 | #830 | 277 |
| 2010 | #983 | 201 |
| 2000 | #1,259 | 105 |
| 1990 | #1,200 | 83 |
| 1980 | #1,522 | 41 |
| 1970 | #2,396 | 16 |
| 1960 | #2,422 | 13 |
| 1950 | #3,678 | 6 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Yehuda, counting every spelling?
Yehuda is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #701 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #741 for Yehuda on its own. Together these spellings went to 375 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yehuda | 351 | #741 | 1,674 |
| Yehudah | 24 | #4,387 | 99 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Yehuda?
351 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Yehuda (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Yehuda born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 24 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Yehuda.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Yehuda?
About 7,700 people born in the US named Yehuda are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 6 and 26. That makes Yehuda mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Yehuda by state
How common Yehuda was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (18.0×), New York (8.1×), Maryland (1.9×). In 41 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Yehuda: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Yehuda, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Yehuda · Sibling names for Yehuda
Questions about the name Yehuda
What does Yehuda mean?
Yehuda means “Judah; 'praised'” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Yehuda?
Yehuda was the 741st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 351 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 721st with 365 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 200 places. More babies were named Yehuda in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Yehuda a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Yehuda in the US.
Where is Yehuda most popular?
In 2021–2025, Yehuda was most common in New Jersey (3.49 per 1,000 boys), followed by New York and Maryland.