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Zelpha
How to Pronounce Zelpha
Pronounced ZEL-fuh /หzษl.fษ/Medium
Meaning: Zelpha is a spelling of the biblical Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah and mother of two of Jacob's sons in Genesis. The Hebrew name's meaning is uncertain - sometimes glossed 'frailty' or 'drop' - so Zelpha's sense is best given as biblical but unclear.Low
Popularity in the U.S. ยท SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880โpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Zelpha is an American respelling of Zilpah, a name from Genesis borne by the handmaid of Leah who bore Jacob two sons, Gad and Asher. The Hebrew original's meaning is debated, with proposals including 'frailty' and 'a dropping', so the name is best presented as biblical with an uncertain literal sense.
Like many Old Testament names, it flourished among devout rural families in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, peaking in the mid nineteen-teens and fading by mid-century. Anyone named Zelpha belongs to a great-grandmother's era, and the name remains a deep rarity.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Zelpha mean?
Zelpha is a variant of the biblical Zilpah, a handmaid in Genesis; the Hebrew name's meaning is uncertain.
How do you pronounce Zelpha?
It's said ZEL-fuh /หzษl.fษ/ - two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Zelpha a boy or girl name?
Zelpha is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Zelpha?
Zelpha was a Bible-era rural antique that crested in the mid nineteen-teens and faded by mid-century.