Girl Names With Z in Them: Classic Elizabeth, Rare Izadi

Girl names with Z in them make for an intriguing list.

There aren’t the names that begin with Z. (You can find that list here.) From Zoe, Zoey, Zara, and Zora to Zia, Zendaya, Zinnia, and Zeta, plenty of choices start with that appealing sound.

These are the choices that tuck Z in the middle spot, or sometimes at the very end.

Sometimes it’s a scissor-y sound, midway between S and Z. Some names, like Elisabeth and Elizabeth, can be spelled with either letter. That’s sometimes true for names like Sadie and Zadie or Sophia and Zofia, but the switch is more subtle in the middle spot.

Of course, some girl names containing Z are deliberate respellings, swapping in a Z to make the name a little edgier.

But plenty of these lean traditional, names that have always had a Z, even before high-value Scrabble letters were considered stylish. The 26th letter of the alphabet has always had a certain appeal.

From Top 100 favorites to rarities you might not have heard before, this list has something for everyone.

ADELAIZ, ADELIZA

Rare cousins of the endlessly varied Adelaide/Adelais.

AIZIVELLA

Ziva might be familiar, but Aizivella is as rare as it gets. This medieval name comes from Germanic name elements meaning blade and good. It sounds like a fictional warrior princess, but -ella ending names are such favorites that it might wear well on a daughter.

ALDONZA

This name has the same antique feel as Zenobia or Alberta, but maybe with a little more romance language appeal. It really was used in medieval Spain and Portugal, but you probably know the name thanks to Aldonza Lorenzo – the real name of Dulcinea in Don Quixote.

ALIZ

If you’re familiar with Alix as a form of Alice, then Aliz is another logical possibility.

ALIZA

It looks like a respelling of Eliza, but Aliza is a Hebrew name with an uplifting meaning: joyful.

ALIZEE

Instead of being an Aliza/Aliz spin-off, this name comes the French word alizé, meaning trade wind. It’s spelled Alizéein France.

ALZINA

A named associated with oak trees, file Alzina on the list of unique girl names that might fit right in.

AREZO, AREZOO, AREZU

A Persian name meaning desire.

ARIZONA

A place name with all the rugged appeal of the southwest.

AZALEA

More daring than Lily or Rose, and maybe made a little more name-like thanks to musician Iggy Azalea.

AZAHARA

Among the rarest titles associated with the Virgin Mary? Nuestra Señora del Azahar – Our Lady of the Orange Blossoms. There’s also a significant palace in tenth century Spain, known as the Madinat al-Zahra or Medina Azahara – radiant city, from Zahra, meaning radiance or splendor. Zahara might also be related to these baby girl names.

AZELIE

The French form of Azalea, often shortened to Zelie – as in Marie-Azélie Martin, or Saint Zelie.

AZUCENA

Another floral-inspired possibility, Azucena means lily in Spanish.

AZURA, AZURE

This one is just plain fun: take lajward, the Persian name for the semi-precious stone. Turn it into lazur in Medieval Latin. Then bring it to French, where it became l’azur – the blue stone. And so Azure and Azura are shades of blue, colorful gemstone names far rarer than Ruby or Skye.

BEATRIZ

The Spanish form of Beatrice and Beatrix, and the rarest of the three.

CEZANNE

An artist surname name that might make an intriguing first.

CHARLIZE

As in Theron, the South African-born actor. While it looks rare in English, Afrikaans names often use -ize to construct feminine forms of names, just like the more familiar -ine, -ette, and -elle.

CORAZON

The Spanish word for heart, a name with religious and romantic associations.

DALEYZA

Invented by singer/reality star Larry Hernandez for his firstborn daughter with Kenia Ontiveros, the name has caught on well beyond fans of his show.

DEMELZA

A traditional Cornish name popularized by Poldark  – the novels, and both of the successful television adaptations.

ELIZA

Originally short for Elizabeth, Eliza has long since stood on its own. It’s often musical, from My Fair Lady to Hamilton. 

ELIZABETH

The most rock-solid classic of names for a daughter, Elizabeth has it all – strength, history, nicknames galore. It’s among the most popular baby girl names in US history.

ESPERANZA

A Spanish name meaning “to hope.”

HAZEL

Ecovintage Hazel is an antique in the middle of a serious revival.

INEZ

Also spelled Ines, this is the Spanish form of Agnes. Names like Agneza are also seen in some European languages.

IZABELLA, IZABELLE

Another spelling for traditional Isabella and Isabelle.

IZADI

Popular among the Basque-speaking minority in Spain, Izadi means forest.

IZETA, IZETTA

Zeta is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet, so it almost looks like Izeta might be a cousin. But it seems just as likely that Izetta is an unconventional take on Isabelle.

JAZLINE, JAZLYN, JAZZLYN

A modern invented, made by smooshing together Jaz and Lyn. A dozen or more spellings and elaborations are possible.

JAZMIN, JAZMINE, JAZMYN

Take flower power Jasmine, and swap the S for a Z, and you’ll have Jazmine. Multiple spellings are in use.

KEZIAH

An Old Testament name, Keziah means cinnamon in Hebrew.

LAZULI

The Persian name for the blue stone, also known as lapis lazuli. It shares roots with Azura and Azure.

LIZ, LIZZIE, LIZZY

Several Elizabeth nicknames share the Z in the middle, from familiar Liz and company to rarer baby names like the Greek name Lizeta.

LIZA

Another short form of classic Elizabeth.

LUZ

The Spanish equivalent of Lux, meaning light.

MACKENZIE

A Scottish surname name that became a chart-topping favorite in the US during the late 90s.

MAIZIE, MAIZY

Another S-for-Z swap, this one possibly boosted by Dr. Seuss’ Daisy-Head Mayzie, as well as a French place name.

MALIZA 

looks like Melissa variant, but Swahili name means possibly accomplished woman

MAZARINE

Borrowed from the Paris library the Bibliothèque Mazarine, named for seventeenth century Cardinal Jules Mazarin.

MAZIKEEN

In graphic novel-turned-television series Lucifer, Mazikeen is a demon, who accompanies her boss from the underworld to Los Angeles. That seems like unlikely inspiration for a child’s name, but “Maze” is a compelling character, one who moves well beyond her pure-evil origins.

MITZI

An old school nickname name, Mitzi started out as a German nickname for Maria.

PAZ

The Spanish word for peace, as well as a title of the Virgin Mary and a name sometimes given in her honor.

SCHEHERAZADE

It’s a lot of of name. And Scheherazade had a lot of stories. She’s the new bride who tells tales to her husband in 1001 Nights to delay her execution. (Spoiler alert: it works.)

SUZANNE

The Hebrew Shoshannah became Susanna in Greek, and then Suzanne in French. From the 1940s through the 60s, it was a stylish favorite in the US, too.

SUZETTE

A French nickname form of Suzanne.

SUZIE, SUZY

A logical nickname for Susan, Suzanne, and company.

TOPAZ

Another gemstone possibility.

YARETZI and YARITZA

Latin American favorites, they’re likely modern elaborations of Yara.

ZAZIE

A French nickname name, Zazie can be short for Isabelle or Frances – but in our age of Sadie, Zadie, and Maisie, Zazie could easily fit with popular girl names, no formal version required.

ZUZU

A nickname form of Susan, made forever famous by the youngest Bailey child in classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life.

What are your favorite girl names with Z in them?

First published on February 12, 2022, this post was revised on March 3, 2025.