Baby names starting with Z
44 names beginning with Z, each with an editorial meaning and origin note and its real popularity rank from the 2025 U.S. Social Security Administration data. Rank is U.S.-only and reflects how records are grouped in that source.
- Zachariah from Hebrew Zekharyah = 'Yahweh remembers'
- Zachary English form of Zechariah, from Hebrew Zekharyah = 'Yahweh remembers'
- Zahir Arabic 'zahir' = shining, radiant, and in another reading outward, manifest; one of the names of God in Islam
- Zahra Arabic 'zahra' = radiant, shining, or 'zahrah' = blossom, flower; az-Zahra is a title of Fatima
- Zaid Arabic Zayd, from a root meaning to increase, to grow
- Zaiden modern American coinage in the -aiden pattern (compare Aiden, Jaiden); no older documented root
- Zain Arabic 'zayn' = beauty, grace, adornment
- Zainab Arabic Zaynab, the name of a fragrant flowering tree; sometimes explained instead as 'zayn' = beauty + 'ab' = father
- Zaira Italian and Spanish form of Zaire, the heroine of Voltaire's tragedy Zaire (1732); probably reshaped from Arabic Zahra = 'blossoming, radiant', though the root is debated
- Zaire from the Zaire river, the older name of the Congo, from a Kikongo word for river, 'nzadi'; also the title of a tragedy by Voltaire (1732)
- Zakai from Hebrew 'zakkai' = pure, innocent; borne by the first-century sage Yochanan ben Zakkai
- Zakari variant spelling of Zachary, from Hebrew Zekharyah = 'Yahweh has remembered'; also a West African form of Arabic Zakariya
- Zakariya Arabic form of Zechariah, from Hebrew Zekharyah = 'Yahweh remembers'; a prophet in the Quran
- Zamir from Hebrew 'zamir' = song, nightingale; also a Persian and Urdu name from Arabic 'damir' = conscience, inner mind
- Zander short form of Alexander, from Greek 'alexein' = to defend + 'aner', genitive 'andros' = man; 'defender of men'
- Zane probably a variant of the surname Zahn, or a Venetian form of John; brought into American use by the novelist Zane Grey
- Zaniyah modern American coinage on the -iyah pattern (compare Aniyah, Saniyah); no older documented root
- Zara Arabic Zahra = blossom, or 'zahra' = radiant, shining; also used in English as a reworking of Sarah
- Zariah modern American name, an elaboration of Zaria/Zara with the -iah ending; Zara is usually linked to Arabic 'zahrah' = blossom, flower
- Zariyah modern American coinage, an elaboration of Zaria with the -iyah ending; Zaria itself is read variously as an Arabic name from 'zahra' = blossom and as the Nigerian city
- Zavian modern American coinage, an elaboration of Xavier or Zavier; Xavier is from the Basque place name Etxeberria = 'the new house'
- Zavier respelling of Xavier, from the Basque place name Etxaberri, from 'etxe' = house + 'berri' = new; taken as a surname by St Francis Xavier
- Zayan Arabic, built on the root 'zayn' = beauty, adornment (as in Zayn); 'graceful, adorned'
- Zayd Arabic Zayd, from a root meaning to increase, to grow; 'growth, abundance'
- Zayden modern American coinage, built on the Zay-/Zaid sound plus the popular -aden/-ayden ending (compare Aiden, Jayden); no older attested root
- Zayla modern American coinage on the Zay- element with the -la ending (compare Kayla, Layla); no older documented root
- Zaylee modern American coinage joining the Zay- element to the fashionable -lee ending (compare Kaylee, Baylee); no older documented root
- Zaylen modern American coinage joining the Zay- prefix (as in Zane, Zayn) to the -len ending; no older documented root
- Zayn from Arabic 'zayn' = beauty, grace
- Zayne either a respelling of Arabic Zayn = 'beauty, grace', or of the English surname-name Zane
- Zeke short form of Ezekiel, from Hebrew Yehezqel = 'God strengthens'
- Zen from Japanese 'zen', the meditative school of Buddhism, from Chinese 'chan', ultimately Sanskrit 'dhyana' = meditation
- Zendaya modern name borne by the American actress Zendaya Coleman, whose family traces it to the Shona 'tendai' = to give thanks
- Zephyr from Greek 'zephyros' = the west wind; Zephyros was the god who personified it
- Zion from Hebrew Tsiyyon, the name of a hill in Jerusalem and hence of the city and the people of Israel; the root is uncertain, possibly 'citadel' or 'dry place'
- Zoe from Greek 'zoe' = life; used by Greek-speaking Jews of Alexandria to render the name Eve
- Zoey modern respelling of Zoe, from Greek 'zoe' = life; used by Greek-speaking Jews as a translation of the name Eve
- Zoie modern respelling of Zoe, from Greek 'zoe' = life
- Zuri from Swahili '-zuri' = good, beautiful
- Zyair modern American coinage joining a Zy- element to the -air ending (compare Zaire); no older documented root
- Zyaire modern American coinage, a respelling of Zaire, the former name of the Congo, from a Kikongo word for river
- Zyla modern American coinage on the fashionable Zy- element with the -la ending (compare Zayla, Lyla); no older documented root
- Zymir modern American coinage joining the fashionable Zy- prefix to the -mir ending of names like Amir; no older documented root
- Zyon respelling of Zion, from Hebrew Tsiyon, the fortified hill of Jerusalem and by extension the city itself; the underlying root is not securely known
Only names carrying a meaning note are listed here. Popularity-only records exist for many more spellings and are reachable through the full directory search.
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