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Girl Names Starting with Z: Zoe, Zahava, Zuri

October 11, 2021 By appellationmountain 7 Comments

girl names starting with ZGirl names starting with Z sit at the end of the alphabet, but they’ve become style stars in the last few decades.

From mini Zoe – no matter how you spell it – to elaborate Zariyah and Zaniyah, more girl names starting with Z appear in today’s Top 1000 than nearly any year prior.

That hasn’t always been the case. In some years, zero names beginning with Z appear on the girls’ charts.

But now, the final letter of the alphabet comes in a respectable eighteenth place in terms of popular first initials – even ahead of the letter T.

Maybe it’s because we love our high-value Scrabble letter names these days. After all, along with Q, Z offers a whopping ten points. Name your twin girls Zoey and Quinn, and their names would add up fast.

But there are some plain great Z names, inspired by a mix of foreign imports, creative inventions, and names that just sound a little zippier when they begin with the letter Z.

Z NAMES FOR GIRLS IN THE US TOP 1000

ZOEY (#32)

Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 prompted us to add a ‘y’ to Zoey, just like Joey.

ZOE (#41)

This mini Greek import comes with a big meaning: life.

ZARA (#215)

Sarah is down-to-earth and classic, but Zara? Zara sparkles.

ZURI (#236)

A Swahili name, Zuri means beautiful.

ZARIAH (#460)

Zariah might be Arabic in origin. Or possibly Hebrew. What’s certain is that Zariah is on the rise.

ZELDA (#559)

A name meaning happy, Zelda is forever associated with the jazz age thanks to Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a novelist in her own right.

ZAHRA (#589)

An Arabic name with a great meaning – bright.

ZAYLEE (#661)

A cousin to Hailey and Kaylee, but maybe with a nod to the saintly Zelie, too.

ZARIYAH (#697)

A third spelling in the Zaria/Zariah category.

ZANIYAH (#730)

Possibly borrowed from Zaniah, the traditional Arabic name for a star.

ZARIA (#861)

Maria-with-a-Z … or Zariah-hold-the-h.

ZORA (#877)

A Slavic word meaning dawn, and a slightly more daring alternative to Nora, Cora, and Aurora.

ZOYA (#919)

A Slavic spin on popular Zoe.

ZOLA (#935)

Popular at the turn of the twentieth century in the US, this name’s origins are unclear. But it fits in perfectly with girl names beginning with Z today.

ZAINAB (#959)

An Arabic name possibly meaning beauty. Thanks to a significant figure in Islam, it’s been embraced by Muslim families across the world, in multiple spellings.

ZOIE (#963)

Another Zoe/Zoey spelling.

ZENDAYA (#976)

A Shona name meaning thankful, Zendaya makes the charts thanks to a talented young actor.

ZHURI (#991)

Another spelling of rising favorite Zuri.

UNCOMMON GIRL NAMES BEGINNING WITH Z

ZADIE

It’s Sadie-with-a-Z, thanks to London-born author Sadie Smith.

ZAHARA

Likely Hebrew in origin, this name means shining. It’s familiar thanks to Jolie-Pitt daughter Zahara Marley.

ZAHAVA

Zahava means golden, again with Hebrew roots.

ZAHIRA

An Arabic name with two possible meanings: shining, or helper.

ZANNA

Possibly short for Suzanne, or maybe a feminine form of John.

ZAVALA

A Spanish surname with an intriguing sound. It’s the middle name of one of Matt Damon’s daughters, Gia.

ZAZIE

In French, Zazie is short for Isabelle or Frances, a sparky short name put on the map by actor Zazie Beetz.

ZELIE

Either a cousin to Adelaide or a French form of Azalea, Zelie is on parents’ radar thanks to Saint Zelie Martin, canonized by Pope Francis in 2015.

ZELLA

A so-slightly different spin on Bella and Stella, Zella offers several possible origins and meanings.

ZENAIDA

An ancient Greek name related to the god Zeus, Zenaida is also a genus of doves. They’re named for Napoleon’s niece, Zénaïde.

ZENOBIA

Another take on Zenaida, Zenobia was the name of an ancient queen. Nathaniel Hawthorne used it for a character in his 1852 novel The Blithedale Romance.

ZEPHYRINE

Zephyr is the western wind in Greek myth; lovely French feminine form Zephyrine is occasionally heard.

ZERLINA

Mozart gave this name to a character in his legendary 1787 opera Don Giovanni. She’s the beautiful peasant girl Don Giovanni pursues.

ZIA

A creative spin on Mia, a short form of names ending with the right sound, or maybe from the Zia sun symbol, featured on the flag of New Mexico.

ZINNIA

An unusual flower name with a zippy Z.

ZITA

It might be short for many names ending with the right sound, but there’s also a thirteenth century Saint Zita.

ZIVA

From a Hebrew name meaning radiant.

ZOILA

A Spanish take on Zoe.

ZORAIDA

An Arabic name, Zoraida is most famous as a character in Cervantes’ Don Quixote.

ZOSIA

In Polish, Sophia becomes Zofia, and Zosia is the nickname. Actor Zosia Mamet rhymes her name with Sasha.

ZULEIKA

A rare name used in Persian literature from the Middle Ages onward, usually associated with Potiphar’s wife, a minor – and previously nameless – character from the Book of Genesis, as well as the Quran.

ZUZU

A nickname for Susan and related names, Zuzu is forever famous as the youngest daughter of George Bailey in Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life. 

What are your favorite Z names for girls? What would you add to this list? 

Originally published on March 15, 2021, this post was revised and re-published on October 11, 2021.

Girl Names Starting with Z Girl Names Starting with Z Girl Names Starting with Z

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Comments

  1. okayos says

    February 22, 2022 at 12:52 AM

    We had a girl at school called Zanda

    Reply
  2. Imogen says

    October 12, 2021 at 9:02 AM

    My favourite is Zaila, rhymes with Layla.

    Reply
  3. Cecily says

    March 16, 2021 at 8:03 AM

    I love Z names. My favourites are probably Zoe and Zelda. Zoraida and Zephyrine are really intriguing too. I want to like Zenobia, but the similarity to “xenophobia” is a bit off-putting, unfortunately.

    Reply
  4. emily says

    March 15, 2021 at 11:01 PM

    I’m thrilled to see a mention of the Book of Mormon here! But..Lehi’s wife is actually Sariah. (Unless it’s spelled differently in a non-english translation?)

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      March 16, 2021 at 9:57 AM

      OH! Thanks, Emily … I’ve had that in my head for so long, I don’t know where I got it from. Off to Google … and editing it in the meantime. Apologies!

      Reply
  5. keats says

    March 15, 2021 at 9:53 PM

    My favorite Z name is Ziva. Meaning brightness or light or life, it is a pretty awesome.

    Reply
  6. KM says

    March 15, 2021 at 9:29 AM

    Zola and Zara are soooo cute, but Zola reminds me of the adds for a wedding planning site, and Zara reminds me of the store. I could get over it though, they are so lovely. Do you pronounce Zara with a long or short a? I’ve always pronounced the store like Zahhhhra, as opposed to rhyming with Sarah, but I could be wrong.

    Zoraida, Zinnia, Zadie and Zuri are all great. Zelda reminds me of the video game.

    Reply

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