On the heels of Zane, here’s another zippy Z-name.
Thanks to Laney McDonald for suggesting Zora as Name of the Day.
Zara is the 20th century appellation with a lengthy list of possible sources. Zora has more in common with nature names like Sky, Star or, well, Dawn. In several Slavic tongues, Zora means dawn. It puts her in good company – nature names are hot, and plenty of popular choices have a nature link, even if it is a subtle one.
Other choices from the current Top 100 that fit this pattern include:
- Olivia
- Chloe
- Lily, Lillian
- Jasmine
- Brooke
- Autumn
So while Dawn is fading, you might expect Zora to be doing well these days. And yet, despite placing in the US Top 1000 most years from 1880 through 1939, she’s gone unranked since 1940.
Is it her -ora ending? Nora, Aurora, Kimora, Cora and Norah are all found in the US Top 500, suggesting that Zora would be in good company. (And Aurora is, of course, another name meaning dawn.)
It’s not a lack of inspiration, either. While Zora Andrich – the winner of reality television’s Joe Millionaire back in 2005 – might not have impressed, there’s also literary giant Zora Neale Hurston.
The Harlem Renaissance was underway when Zora Neale Hurston arrived in New York City in 1925. She was soon at the center of the movement, publishing the literary magazine Fire!! with Langston Hughes and several other writers we still read today. In 1937, she penned Their Eyes Were Watching God, still considered one of the most important novels of the 20th century. Her hometown of Eatonville, Florida, hosts an annual Zora arts festival in her memory.
And yet, despite a literary pedigree and appealing meaning, Zora is relatively undiscovered.
With one foot in Eastern Europe and the other in African-American history, Zora could be the perfect choice for parents seeking an ethnicity-spanning name. She’s even a compromise pick when one parent loves Clara and the other prefers Zaylie. She’s clearly feminine, with just the tiniest hint of a frill. If you love Ingrid, but your partner prefers Cassandra, Zora could feel like the middle ground.
In fact, maybe that’s Zora’s problem – she’s a little bit of everything, but isn’t so closely tied to any category to get a boost. It doesn’t detract from her charms, though – in fact, if you’re looking for a simple, modern, feminine pick that is unlikely to race up the popularity charts after Zoe and Ava, Zora might just be the name for you.
zora white says
January 1, 2016 at 10:28 PMI am fortunate to be named Zora after my grandmother ‘Zora Lee Hill.’ I really love my name. It is exotic and strong. I am always given compliments about my name from inside and outside of the USA. It is a gift to have name ZORA.
Dawn to Zora says
May 29, 2014 at 11:43 PMI’ve been seriously considering a name change from Dawn (given name) and a very English last name, to Zora (Dawn in Serbian and other languages) and my grandmother’s Italian maiden name (Paluzzi). I constantly have issues with people confusing my name for a guy, or being weird about it, both in the US and while travelling (people seem to be aware of the name Don but not Dawn). This has actually given me a lot of professional trouble for misogynist types who think a girl can’t play a brass instrument, at least they’d know up front what they are dealing with. Other people have not hired me for the Balkan music I play because I’m obviously not “from there” by my name (well, I’m not, but can play that music…a whole other can of worms). They always give me another name anyway and Zora is one I like.
I recently found out I qualify for Italian citizenship through the grandfolk so having an Italian last name is another reason to go ahead and change the whole thing, and Zora sounds better with the last name than my own.
I’ve never felt an association with my name (a last minute call for my parents, who were sure a “Steven” would be popping out) so this seems like a good way to call tribute.
Don’t forget, you can always go by Zoritsa (diminuitive ie nickname) when in Spanish-speaking countries. Might be enough to confuse ’em 😉
Dawn to Zora says
May 29, 2014 at 11:46 PMAdditional factor: There is another lady who plays the same instrument as me, but with a very different vibe (pink hair and scantily clad, though at least a decent player) and genre of music. I’ve had negative associations from people who mistake me for her which is also a pain for people to prejudge me this way. So a name change to something Slavic like this also is nice to me.
appellationmountain says
May 30, 2014 at 6:35 PMHi Zora/Dawn –
I legally changed my name when I was 28, and I always say this: it is INCREDIBLY disorienting to change your name, even when it is the exactly right choice for all of the right reasons.
That said, changing your name from Dawn to Zora seems really quite brilliant. It preserves the meaning, but gives you a sound that feels much more like you.
Changing your first and last name at the same time is a lot. Of course, changing your first and last name separately would present a thicket of challenges, too.
I think you should consider what might happen professionally if you make a complete name change, and how it might change your relationships with your family and those who have known you for a long time. I also wonder if you might keep some part of your current name as a part of a new legal name – Zora Paluzzi Smith, or Zora Dawn Paluzzi … something like that.
What do you think?
Best,
Abby
Lucia says
December 20, 2011 at 11:02 PMZorra in Spanish is slang for whore.
Lucia says
December 20, 2011 at 11:04 PMI forgot to say also that Zora in Spanish has a different pronunciation from “Zorra”, so there’s not as much to worry about.
Zora says
December 15, 2011 at 5:19 AMspanish version (Zorra) is Fox, not whore!!!
I am proud to be a foxy lady too, lol xxxx
Zora says
December 15, 2011 at 5:12 AMHello, my first name is Zora.
It is amazing, so far I have met or heard of so few of them, only 3 actually. I love the name, it was always unusual at school and so I didn’t always love it completely, but being a grown up , now in my mid 30’s with the name is great, i feel unique and special and anyone whoever comments on my name say ‘ what a beautiful name’ …. yay, thanks mum!!!
llrm says
March 7, 2011 at 11:46 AMwe absolutely planned to name our girl zora(h), after zora neale and also it’s meaning of dawn…but our girl turned out to be a boy(: so we named him Ares instead (the greek god)…which worked out well…but love love love zora! it’s beautiful, exotic but still easy to pronounce and spell. fits with many first names, too.
Kelleita says
October 14, 2009 at 6:57 PMJust word of warning… I just mentioned this name to my husband and he informed me that the Spanish translation of Zorra is “whore”. Eek! I know the spelling is different, but that translation is bad enough to steer me clear of this name.
appellationmountain says
October 15, 2009 at 2:01 PMACK! File this one with Viola – user beware. Thank you, Kelleita.
Charlotte Vera says
October 16, 2009 at 7:03 PMThanks for the warning! My own name is problematic enough (Charlotte the Scarlet Harlot), I wouldn’t want to inflict anything potentially, erm, sketchy, on my kids.
Kelleita says
October 14, 2009 at 2:50 PMI had never really considered this name before, but I think it’s gorgeous. I loved Their Eyes Were Watching God, so that only adds to its appeal for me. (I used to want to name a baby Janie after the main character of that book.) 🙂
appellationmountain says
October 14, 2009 at 2:00 PMI met a little Zora at a baby shower – named after the author! It wore really well on a toddler, and I can imagine it would wear well on an adult, too.
Rachel says
October 14, 2009 at 1:15 PMI love this name, and it’s on my list!
charlottevera says
October 14, 2009 at 6:54 AMThis is the first time I’ve ever really come across Zora, a fact which stands as yet another testimony to the truth that I’m sorely lacking in literacy when it comes to the work of American authors — something which I’m slowly working to rectify. When I first saw the name I thought, “Oh, a smush of Zelda and Nora”. However, the name’s growing on me, and I’m even considering suggesting it to my husband as a possible future middle!
shay120 says
October 13, 2009 at 11:36 PMZora is so beautiful to me. She has a spunky and exotic sound, a cool meaning and I love the mythological associations. In Slavic mythology, it is believed that Zora was the goddess of dawn. Other sources believe that the zoras were a trinity of goddesses that had the same role as the fates. I also like the fact that is has an Eastern European connotation but is also easy to say and spell for English speakers.