Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2020

Zelda

Meaning A female given name from the Germanic languages Gender Girl Rank 2025 #832 Trend ↓ Falling 19%

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

Rank 2025
#832
among girls · ↓83 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
328
named Zelda · -13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,900
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2020
526 babies
All-time total
16,739
#1,191 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Zelda popularity over time

16,739 babies have been named Zelda since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 62 – 62 6 – #756
1890s 254 – 254 25 +310% #506
1900s 595 – 595 60 +134% #388
1910s 1,854 – 1,854 185 +212% #376
1920s 2,376 – 2,376 238 +28% #405
1930s 1,650 5 1,655 166 -30% #450
1940s 1,074 – 1,074 107 -35% #621
1950s 1,160 – 1,160 116 +8% #839
1960s 1,265 – 1,265 127 +9% #782
1970s 305 – 305 31 -76% #1,504
1980s 154 – 154 15 -50% #4,147
1990s 144 – 144 14 -6% #4,648
2000s 391 – 391 39 +172% #2,965
2010s 2,889 – 2,889 289 +639% #649
2020s (to 2025) 2,561 – 2,561 427 +48% #559

Where Zelda is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 318 0.20 outside top 500
2027 309 0.19 outside top 500
2028 302 0.19 outside top 500
2029 296 0.18 outside top 500
2030 292 0.18 outside top 500

Where Zelda is most popular

Girls named Zelda per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.251 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, Colorado, and Missouri.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Zelda born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Oregon 35 0.538 +114%
Colorado 59 0.529 +111%
Missouri 57 0.473 +89%
Washington 60 0.415 +66%
Oklahoma 28 0.380 +52%
Michigan 68 0.373 +49%
Alabama 33 0.351 +40%
Indiana 49 0.349 +39%
California 272 0.324 +29%
Arizona 45 0.321 +28%
Illinois 73 0.319 +27%
Ohio 75 0.316 +26%
New York 125 0.316 +26%
Minnesota 33 0.306 +22%
Virginia 45 0.264 +5%
Utah 21 0.252 ≈ national
Arkansas 13 0.246 ≈ national
South Carolina 22 0.245 ≈ national
Texas 196 0.244 ≈ national
Florida 104 0.243 ≈ national
Iowa 14 0.240 ≈ national
North Carolina 52 0.228 -9%
Georgia 51 0.224 -11%
Wisconsin 23 0.223 -11%
Tennessee 35 0.221 -12%
Pennsylvania 51 0.216 -14%
Massachusetts 25 0.207 -18%
Connecticut 12 0.206 -18%
West Virginia 5 0.191 -24%
Kentucky 16 0.187 -25%
Maryland 18 0.170 -32%
New Jersey 30 0.166 -34%
Nevada 7 0.151 -40%
Idaho 5 0.149 -40%
Nebraska 5 0.139 -45%
Mississippi 5 0.107 -57%
Louisiana 6 0.069 -73%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Zelda

Zelda is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #832 in 2025 with 328 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 16,739 American babies have been named Zelda. Its peak came in 2020, when 526 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Zelda stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Zelda?

The median living Zelda is about 11 years old; half are between 5 and 64. An estimated 9,700 people named Zelda are alive in the United States today.

median 11 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Zelda year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 328 #832 – –
2024 377 #749 – –
2023 403 #705 – –
2022 435 #672 – –
2021 492 #608 – –
2020 526 #559 – –
2019 436 #665 – –
2018 442 #668 – –
2017 456 #650 – –
2016 426 #688 – –
2015 443 #649 – –
2014 214 #1,160 – –
2013 183 #1,288 – –
2012 139 #1,574 – –
2011 81 #2,325 – –
2010 69 #2,641 – –
2009 59 #2,965 – –
2008 54 #3,157 – –
2007 53 #3,246 – –
2006 49 #3,367 – –
2005 40 #3,728 – –
2004 30 #4,598 – –
2003 29 #4,534 – –
2002 24 #5,085 – –
2001 22 #5,362 – –
2000 31 #4,077 – –
1995 5 #15,746 – –
1990 18 #5,285 – –
1985 13 #5,676 – –
1980 19 #4,147 – –
1975 27 #2,810 – –
1970 67 #1,504 – –
1965 109 #1,003 – –
1960 135 #914 – –
1955 120 #898 – –
1950 101 #889 – –
1945 88 #809 – –
1940 128 #621 – –
1935 161 #503 – –
1930 225 #450 – –
1925 251 #436 – –
1920 208 #472 – –
1915 230 #397 – –
1910 86 #431 – –
1905 76 #388 – –
1900 46 #503 – –
1895 28 #577 – –
1890 14 #757 – –
1885 6 #1,044 – –
1880 6 #834 – –

Famous people named Zelda

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Zelda Williams Zelda Williams American actress and director (born 1989) Contemporary
  2. 2 Zelda Fitzgerald Zelda Fitzgerald American writer (1900–1948) Contemporary
  3. 3 Zelda Rubinstein Zelda Rubinstein American actress and human rights activist 1933–2010 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Zelda, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Zelda?

The median living Zelda is about 11 years old. Half of all living Zeldas are between 5 and 64 years old.

How many people named Zelda are alive today?

An estimated 9,700 people named Zelda are alive in the United States, based on 16,739 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Zelda mean?

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

How popular is the name Zelda in 2025?

Zelda ranked #832 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 328 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Zelda?

16,739 babies have been named Zelda in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Zelda most popular?

Zelda peaked in 2020, when 526 newborns received the name.

Is Zelda a boy or girl name?

Zelda is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Zelda rising or falling?

Zelda is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Zelda become more popular?

Zelda is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 292 girls named Zelda in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Zelda?

Well-known people named Zelda include Zelda Williams (actor), Zelda Fitzgerald (writer), Zelda Rubinstein (actor).

Names like Zelda

Names that sound and feel close to Zelda: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Zelda with similar names → More names starting with Z →