Baby Name of the Day: Zephyr

The baby name Zephyr is borrowed from ancient Greek mythology, but sounds like a very current option.

Thanks to Unknown for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME ZEPHYR MEAN?

In simplest terms, Zephyr, Zephyros, or Zephyrus was the Greek god of the west wind.

Together with his three counterparts – Boreas in the north, Notus in the south and Eurus in the east – they were known as the Anemoi. In art, they sometimes appear as puffs or gusts, but more often as winged figures.

Zephyrus represents the gentle spring breeze, responsible for ushering in fair weather. He was the husband, brother or both of Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Another famous tale involving the deity pits him against Apollo for the affections of the handsome Hyacinth.

ZEPHYRINUS

It’s not just Zephyrus. Plenty of variants of Zephyr developed over the years.

Just like Demetrius from Demeter and Marius from Mars, Zephyrinus is derived from Zephyr.

Fun onomastic fact: they’re technically theophoric names, names that include the name of a deity. 

During the second century, Pope Zephyrinus served for nearly two decades. It was a tough gig. Christians remained persecuted from the outside and divided by doctrinal arguments within. 

While we don’t know much about his life, chances are that he deserves credit for the name’s continued use. 

In Portuguese, it became Zeferino. Spanish spelled it with a C: Ceferino or even Cefiro.

There’s also Zéphyrine, a feminine variation of the name Zephyr and company.

That last one suggests that Zephyr might easily be a girl’s name, too. If Zeph sounds like Jeff, then Zephy brings to mind Stephie. 

ZEPHYR ON THE RAILS

The best known Zephyrs, however, aren’t gods or men. Instead, they traveled the rails between California and the Midwest beginning in 1949. The Amtrak Zephyr still runs from from Chicago to San Francisco today.

It’s also been used for:

• Cars, including the Lincoln Zephyr, Ford Zephyr (manufactured from 1950 to 1972) and the short-lived Mercury Zephyr (1978-83). 
• In the 1990s, Kawasaki also made a motorcycle by the name.

POP CULTURE INFLUENCE

More cultural references include:

• Jean de Brunhoff’s elephant Babar had a monkey friend called Zephir. He appears in multiple Babar books, including Babar and Zephir. The monkey also appears in the animated TV series based on the stories. 
• 1997 children’s book Silverwing introduces a bat by the name. Written by Kenneth Oppel, it was later adapted as an animated series.
• A Pegasus in the My Little Pony universe answers to Zephyr Breeze. He’s the brother of Fluttershy. 
• Fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers might think of “The Zephyr Song,” from 2002.
• Manga series Zephyr’s Wondrous Journey introduces Zephyr Sherwind. 
• In the extended How to Train Your Dragon universe, Hiccup and Astrid have a daughter called Zephyr, another suggestion that this name could easily be gender-neutral. She appears in more than one story, including the holiday special Homecoming. 

The How to Train Your Dragon world continues to expand, with a live action movie and a land in the new Universal theme park, Epic Universe. While Zephyr isn’t necessarily a part of any of that, it strengthens the case to hear this name as female – at least potentially.

It’s been used as a brand name for a line of range hoods and a medical device to help patients breathe – to name just two.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ZEPHYR?

The baby name Zephyr has yet to rank in the US Top 1000.

But it’s been used in small numbers for years.

Way back in 1905, Zephyr debuted in the United States Social Security Administration data as a girl’s given name. Fast-forward to 1975, and it appeared in the boys’ data, too.

As of 2023, the numbers look like this:

• 188 boys and 42 girls were named Zephyr.
• An additional seven girls were named Zephyra.
• Seven boys were named Zeph, along with five called Zef.
• Six new Zeferinos were born.
• Zephyrus was given to five boys.

No question the name appears on the US charts, but it’s far from common. 

Still, Zephyr fits with popular names like Ephraim and Josephine, as well as so many on-trend Z names, from Zoe to Zariah to Zev. 

We love R-enders, too, like Harper and Parker and Carter.

And the popularity of the name Zephyr has increased over the last ten years or so, increasing from just 12 boys receiving the name in the year 2000, to 100 in 2014, to today’s closing-in-on-200 range.

BOLD AND BREEZY

So should you name your daughter or son Zephyr? I think it works. With adorable nicknames Zeph/Zef/Zephie, it’s a very wearable choice.

We’re taking baby name inspiration from myth and the natural world all the time, so that’s another reason this warm breeze of a name fits.

Because it’s rare, the baby name Zephyr feels bold – but not all that different from chart-topping favorites now.

What do you think of the baby name Zephyr?

This post was originally published on August 30, 2008. It was revised on April 8, 2025.