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Fetching Names: The Zippy Zs, Girls’ Edition

April 27, 2012 By appellationmountain 29 Comments

There’s something about the letter z.  It’s just one among 26 members of the alphabet, but it has an impact far greater than h or l or c.  Like all of the high value scrabble letters – q and x and j and k – z commands your attention.

It also seems to be present in a high percentage of requested names here at AppMtn.  And so this week’s list is devoted to the zippy Zs.  Naming a son?  Visit the Zippy Zs, Boys’ Edition.

Eliza – Not every zippy z name starts with z.  The lady-like Eliza brings to mind Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.  There’s Elizabeth, too, of course, and other possible short forms like Liz.  But Eliza really emphasizes the z sound, while remaining a mainstream option.

Hazel – She’s a nature name with an edge, heavier than pretty Lily, a sister for all of those -v intensive girls’ choices, like Ivy and Olive.  Lily is a debutante, but Hazel is a rocket scientist.  Want something slightly showier?  Another botanical possibility with a z in the middle is Azalea, or even the french form Azelie.

Xena – She’s a warrior princess and a fifth-century saint.  Lucy Lawless’ television character looms large, making this tough to wear for a daughter right now.  But the reference will fade in another generation, while her sound will be as brisk and interesting as ever.  Hoping to use her today?  Spelling Xenia might make for a subtle difference – though it also obscures the pronunciation.  Another great x-makes-the-z-sound options is Xanthe.

Zara – Cara and Tara have had their time in the sun, but Zara is the royal one.  In the dystopian adventure V is for Vendetta, Queen Zara reigned.  She’s been on a slight uptick in recent years in the US, but remains relatively rare. 

Zelda – She’s a jazz age staple, thanks Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald, and a video game legend.  Robin Williams claims to have named his daughter after the latter.  If you’re looking for something quirky, but not completely off-trend, she’s a distinctive Z name to consider.

Zenaida – An Eastern Orthodox saint who traces her name’s roots to the ancient god Zeus, Zenaida is an Eastern-leaning rarity.

Zenobia – If Zenaida is an exotic rarity, Zenobia comes from the same roots but exudes Americana, thanks to a Nathaniel Hawthorne character and Tina Fey’s firstborn, Alice Zenobia.

Zephyrine – Zephyr is the west wind, and Zephyrinus was a third-century pope.  Zephyrine is a French feminine form, and quite rare even among French speakers.  In the US, she’d be a gorgeous middle name, and a reasonably wearable rarity in the first spot, too.

Zillah – Yes, it is tempting to think of the lizard-like creature who destroyed Tokyo.  But Zillah is a legitimate name from the Old Testament, and appeared in the US Top 1000 a few times in the late nineteenth century. Of course, that was well before the iconic movie monster first roared.

Zinnia – Looking for an unusual bloom?  Zinnia fits the bill.  She’s easy to spell and pronounce, unlike Fuchsia.  And her sound is on trend with lots of other lovely names for girls.

Zipporah – She doesn’t just start with z, she begins with zip!  And yet Zipporah is one of the clunkier names on the list, perfect for parents considering Old Testament appellations – she’s the wife of Moses.

Ziva – A Hebrew name meaning bright, she’s a more daring option than Lucy or Claire.

Zola – She’s Lola with a literary twist, thanks to French author Emile Zola.  It’s also a Zulu name meaning quiet – think of South African-born Olympic champion Zola Budd.  And while Zola might sound nouveau, she’s actually retro.  The name ranked in the US Top 1000 every year from 1880 through 1941.

Zora – From a Slavic word meaning dawn, she’s shorter than the Disney princess Aurora, more modern than 60s and 70s favorite Dawn.

Zuleika – Her sound is mysterious, and the many literary characters who have shared her name are equally intriguing.  A Persian name connected to a Biblical character, it was famously used for a 1911 character in Max Beerbohm’s novel Zuleika Dobson, or an Oxford love story.

What’s your favorite Z name for a girl?  Would you use any of these?  How ’bout the more popular choices, like Zoe?

More names you might like:

  • Zita: Baby Name of the DayZita: Baby Name of the Day
  • Baby Name of the Day: ZolaBaby Name of the Day: Zola
  • Gemstone Names for Girls: Opal, Topaz, PearlGemstone Names for Girls: Opal, Topaz, Pearl
  • Girl Names Starting with Z: Zoe, Zahava, ZuriGirl Names Starting with Z: Zoe, Zahava, Zuri
  • Baby Name Enola: Fiercely IndependentBaby Name Enola: Fiercely Independent

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Comments

  1. Adnot says

    July 5, 2021 at 2:23 PM

    Zéphéline est mon prénom ahah

    Reply
  2. Cash says

    April 29, 2016 at 12:01 AM

    Zinnie, Zezette, Zozette, Zelphinia,Zéphéline, Zénophie, Zéphronie,Zephyrine/Zéphyrianne are a few of my favorite.

    Reply
  3. Names4Real says

    May 1, 2012 at 9:36 AM

    Z names are fun. I like a lot of these.

    I love Zinnia, Eliza, Hazel, and Zara and Zelda, but I think my favorite Z names are Zelie and Zoelie.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      May 1, 2012 at 8:29 PM

      Oh, Zoelie – I adore Zoelie!

      Reply
  4. Liz says

    April 30, 2012 at 7:58 PM

    Ps I’ve always loved my Z.

    Reply
  5. Liz says

    April 30, 2012 at 7:57 PM

    I seriously considered Zadie for our second daughter.Right now I am loving Vera, Juno, and Lark…

    Reply
  6. Lady Gwyn says

    April 30, 2012 at 5:21 PM

    Ah, so many lovelies here! I adore Zara and Zorah as well as Azalea, and I like Zinnia, Ziva, and Zipporah. My Sunday School girls and I recently read the Moses story, and I remember commenting that I liked the name Zipporah. My girls thought was crazy, but they are all 10-11 years old, so…take that for what it’s worth. I kind if like using a Z name to honor my mom’s maiden name, which is a long, Polish appelation (and thusly, unsuable as a first name) that started with a Z.

    Reply
    • Sarah A says

      May 1, 2012 at 1:20 AM

      What about Zosia? I believe it’s the Polish for Sophia. I’m actually surprised it’s not on this list. The name is in the news since Zosia Mamet is one of the stars of HBO’s new critical darling, “Girls”.

      Reply
      • appellationmountain says

        May 1, 2012 at 6:26 AM

        That’s a nice addition! -osia is a common diminutive form. My aunt is Gosia, from Margaret … sort of like Greta. And yes, Zosia is related to Zofia, which is the Polish version of Sophia. I don’t know if it is common or not.

        Reply
  7. angela says

    April 29, 2012 at 10:18 PM

    I used to babysit a girl named Zahara. Pretty!

    Reply
  8. Sarah A says

    April 28, 2012 at 9:57 PM

    My favorite Z name for a girl is definitely Zipporah, but it’s not in serious consideration since Moses is our top boy name and that would just be weird 🙂

    I do like Zuleika, but I prefer the Arabic pronunciation with the gutteral kh sound and the more phonetic Zuleikha spelling.

    I know a woman in her 30s named Zoya and a toddler named Zoha and I kind of like those two better than Zora or Zola.

    And I’ve recently fallen in love with Xanthe!

    Reply
  9. Nicole says

    April 28, 2012 at 8:08 AM

    You give it to the boys, but I had a female teacher growing up named “Zephyr.” Even better–she went by the nickname “Breezy” and it suited her perfectly!

    Reply
    • Cash says

      April 29, 2016 at 12:05 AM

      I went to school with a girl named Breezy Breanna.

      Reply
  10. Panya says

    April 28, 2012 at 1:05 AM

    My great-great-aunt’s name was Zula Ethel and I knew an older women named Glozella [whose daughter was Gloria] — so most /z/ names seem old-fashioned to me. Except for Zoe, which has always felt fresh, and Hazel, which is more “retro” [I went to school with a beautiful, exotic Hazel, so that skews my opinion].

    Oh, and X- names are NEVER /Z/s to me! They’re always /KS/. I like a lot of X- names, but if pronounced with a /Z/, they seem dated.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      April 29, 2012 at 8:08 PM

      Zula Ethel is fabulous! And I think you’re right about Z names having an old-fashioned feel. They’ve been hibernating … lots of great Z names in the past.

      Reply
  11. Lola says

    April 28, 2012 at 12:31 AM

    Zelda’s easily my favorite on the list, but the OH adores Zuleika. I’ll win there, unless I can get Zuleika to work in the middle somewhere (Mina Zuleika maybe?)

    I too wish I had a surname that would work with Zipporah. She’s gorgeous!

    But Zelda has had my heart since I was 2, I still love her.

    Reply
  12. Julie says

    April 27, 2012 at 6:46 PM

    Yesterday, I got sucked into a Wikipedian loop and I learned that one of Charles Bronson’s daughters is named Zuleika. I wasn’t aware of the name before, but here it is again… I love how that happens. 🙂

    I’ve always liked the French Zelie, of course it could be a nickname for Azelie, but I like the short form better. Zipporah is a guilty pleasure of mine, I just wish I had the surname to pull it off.

    Reply
    • Panya says

      April 28, 2012 at 12:19 PM

      …”sucked into a Wikipedian loop”…

      Oh my, LOL — this happens to me a LOT! 😉

      Reply
  13. Emily says

    April 27, 2012 at 6:09 PM

    I love Zenobia. To me she’s the perfect combination of quirkiness, strength, and antique charm. Zenobia is one I’d strongly consider for the middle spot.

    Reply
  14. Charlotte Vera says

    April 27, 2012 at 4:12 PM

    I have a friend who used Azariah on her baby girl (and a friend who, somewhat more appropriately, used it on her baby boy). It’s another name where the Z is prominent without being the first letter in the name.

    Of your list my favourites are Zenobia and Zipporah. I’m always a sucker for long names, and both of those names have positive associations for me.

    Reply
  15. strawberry36 says

    April 27, 2012 at 2:53 PM

    Zita is quite an unusual choice, however it does has a nice ring too it, especially when pronounced in Italian or French. Found this meaning on the internet:
    The name may originate from the Italian or Persian word zita meaning young girl’.’ In Basque, the word means saint. In Greek, the word means seeker. Elsewhere it was explained as a short form of felicitas (Felicity).:)

    Reply
  16. British American says

    April 27, 2012 at 2:30 PM

    Zinnia is a pretty one that I’ve never considered before. Guess I like flower names. 😛

    Zora makes me think of Zora Neale Hurston, who I don’t really know anything about, I just remember her name from the African American Literature class I took in college.

    I like Hazel a lot too, especially as a sister name to Olive or Ivy. Lovely!

    Zara does make me think of royalty – Zara Phillips, daughter of Anne, Princess Royal. Which makes me think of it as ‘too posh’ for me.

    I know a 6 year old Azalea (though her name is spelled differently). Her nickname is Zay – or at least it was when she was a baby. I’m not sure about these days.

    Reply
  17. Virginia says

    April 27, 2012 at 12:08 PM

    My husband wanted to name our daughter Zoe but I refused. It’s an okay name, but the English pronunciation sounds so silly and childish to me. I like Zenaida. It’s fairly common among Latin American women. I also like Zora. I like that it can be used as a clever nickname for Aurora.

    Reply
  18. Eponymia says

    April 27, 2012 at 11:46 AM

    I love Zelda & Ziva — feel like Zephyrine was everywhere a little while back, at least in the world of namer lists!

    Reply
  19. Elizabeth says

    April 27, 2012 at 10:59 AM

    I’m a bit in love with Zenobia right now. I’m not brave enough to USE it, but I love it!

    Another plus of Zena/Xena — it’s the female variant of Xeno, as in the paradox. How’s that for nerd cred? 🙂

    Reply
  20. Corinne says

    April 27, 2012 at 10:02 AM

    Question: how do you pronounce Zephyrine? As a Corinne (pronounced ker-rin, with the i like “bin”), I automatically though zef-er-in. But after googleing it comes up zef-er-een. I know that it’s French and that they tend to do the -een endings (and Corinne is kor-een in French), but I so much prefer the zef-er-in pronunciation. Would that be hard to get away with / not true to the name?

    Reply
    • Cash says

      April 29, 2016 at 12:02 AM

      Zeph-Er- een

      Reply
  21. Kristin says

    April 27, 2012 at 8:38 AM

    I love Eliza and Hazel. Of the names that begin with Z, Zara and Zinnia are my favorites, though I prefer the popular Zoe.

    Reply
  22. dreadedjaws says

    April 27, 2012 at 8:16 AM

    Definitely Zinnia for an up-front Z. Azalea for a “contains a z” name. Yes, I like the florals and I’m fine with that! Xenia: the Russian name is often transliterated as Zhenya, but in fairness, it’s pronounced like the s in measure, so it really doesn’t fly, despite the Z.

    Reply

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