Learn the meaning and origins of popular baby names that start with "Z."
ByHedy Phillips
Updated on August 16, 2023
Fact checked byMarley Hall
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Naming your children within a theme is a unique and often fun way to show unity. There are plenty of ways you can go about this, whether it's naming your children after literary characters, the season they were born, or historical lineage. Another idea is to choose a letter and run with it.
Naming your children based on a letter can go a few ways. One option is to ensure your children's initials spell something specific. This means you might need to give them a first and middle name with a particular letter you've previously decided on. Another option is to give all your kids a name that starts with the same letter. Maybe everyone in the family has a name that starts with that letter.
Yet another way to go about it is to decide if you want popular names or unique names and let those letters guide you. Names that start with "Z" are largely unique, so by choosing this letter, there's a good chance your child will have a name that stands out among their friends and classmates.
Keep reading for some inspiration on giving your child a moniker that starts with the letter "Z," both very popular and not-so popular options, as well as their origins, meanings, and most famous namesakes.
100 Japanese Baby Names
Zachary
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: God has remembered
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zackary, Zach, Zac, Zack
- Famous Namesakes: Actors Zach Braff, Zac Efron, and Zach Galifianakis all share this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zachary has long been a popular name but it peaked in 1994.
Zahara
- Origin:Arabic
- Meaning: Flower
- Famous Namesakes: One of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughters is named Zahara.
- Peak Popularity: Zahara hasn't yet cracked the list of popular baby names in the United States.
Zahir
- Origin:Arabic
- Meaning: Evident
- Peak Popularity: Zahir peaked in 2021.
Zaid
- Origin:Arabic
- Meaning: Happy
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Said, Zayd
- Peak Popularity: Zaid saw its biggest year in 2018.
Zainab
- Origin:Arabic
- Meaning: Handsome
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zaynab
- Famous Namesakes: Upload actress Zainab Johnson is one of the most well-known people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zainab's most popular year was 2017.
Zaire
- Origin:African
- Meaning: River
- Peak Popularity: Zaire has recently grown in popularity, seeing it's biggest year in 2021.
Zan
- Origin:Slavic
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Xan
- Peak Popularity: Zan does not appear on the most popular baby names list.
Zaniyah
- Origin:Aztec
- Meaning: Forever
- Peak Popularity: Zaniyah's biggest year was 2014.
Zara
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Princess
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zarah, Zahra
- Famous Namesakes: British royal Zara Phillips is one of the most famous people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zara has seen a boom in popularity in the 2000s, and its biggest year was 2021.
Zariah
- Origin:American
- Meaning: Princess
- Peak Popularity: Zariah peaked in 2018.
Zayden
- Origin:American
- Meaning: Increasing
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zaden
- Peak Popularity: Zayden's biggest year was 2016.
Zayn
- Origin:Arabic
- Meaning: Beautiful
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zane, Zain
- Famous Namesakes: Singer Zayn Malik is one of the most famous people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zayn has been a popular name in the 2010s, getting bigger and bigger every year.
Zazie
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: Movement
- Famous Namesakes: Actress Zazie Beetz is one of the most popular people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zazie has not yet appeared on the popular baby names list in the U.S.
Zed
- Origin:English
- Meaning: God is righteousness
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zedd
- Famous Namesakes: DJ Anton Zaslavski, better known as Zedd, goes by this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zed hasn't cracked the popular baby names list yet.
Zeke
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: God will strengthen
- Peak Popularity: Zeke's biggest year was 2017.
Zelda
- Origin:German
- Meaning: Strong woman
- Famous Namesakes: Writer Zelda Fitzgerald and actress Zelda Williams
- Peak Popularity: Zelda is an old-fashioned name popular in the early 1900s.
Zendaya
- Origin:African
- Meaning: To give thanks
- Famous Namesakes: Euphoria star Zendaya is a well-known person with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zendaya reached its peak popularity in 2015.
Zenith
- Origin:English
- Meaning: The very top
- Peak Popularity: Zenith does not appear in the U.S. popular baby names list.
Zenobia
- Origin:Greek
- Meaning: Life of Zeus
- Peak Popularity: Zenobia's biggest year was 1902.
Zeus
- Origin:Greek
- Meaning: God
- Famous Namesakes: Greek god Zeus is by far the most famous usage of this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zeus hasn't found a spot on the popular baby names list yet.
Zhang
- Origin:Chinese
- Meaning: Archer
- Peak Popularity: Zhang is not on the popular baby names list in the U.S.
Zinia
- Origin:Arabic
- Meaning: Brilliant flower
- Peak Popularity: Zinia isn't in the popular baby names list in the U.S. yet.
Zion
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: Israel
- Peak Popularity: Zion grows in popularity every year, seeing its peak in 2021.
Zoey
- Origin:Greek
- Meaning: Life
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zoe, Zooey
- Famous Namesakes: Actresses Zoe Saldana and Zooey Deschanel share this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zoey peaked in 2012 but still remains popular.
Zohar
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: Light
- Peak Popularity: Zohar doesn't appear in the top baby names list.
Zola
- Origin:Latin
- Meaning: Earth
- Peak Popularity: Zola peaked in 1901 but has seen a resurgence in popularity in the 2000s.
Zora
- Origin:Slavic
- Meaning: Dawn
- Famous Namesakes: Author Zora Neale Hurston is one of the most well-known people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Zora peaked in 1900.
Zuleima
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: Peace
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zulema
- Peak Popularity: Zuleima hasn't made the top baby names list in the U.S.
Zuma
- Origin:Aztec
- Meaning: Lord frowns in anger
- Famous Namesakes: Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale named one of their sons Zuma.
- Peak Popularity: Zuma does not appear in the top baby names.
Zuri
- Origin:Swahili
- Meaning: Beautiful
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Suri
- Famous Namesakes: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter's name is Suri.
- Peak Popularity: Zuri continues to see growth in popularity, peaking in 2021.
How to Choose a Name for Your Baby
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