Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1917

Zella

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,746 Trend ↓ Falling 18%
Rank 2025
#1,746
among girls · ↑105 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
117
named Zella · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 13,737
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1917
298 babies
All-time total
13,369
#1,395 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Zella popularity over time

13,369 babies have been named Zella 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1888Girls

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 Per year Change Best rank
1880s 639 64 – #220
1890s 1,184 118 +85% #226
1900s 1,272 127 +7% #247
1910s 2,214 221 +74% #313
1920s 2,287 229 +3% #406
1930s 1,374 137 -40% #493
1940s 924 92 -33% #656
1950s 571 57 -38% #958
1960s 316 32 -45% #1,519
1970s 90 9 -72% #3,274
1980s 49 5 -46% #6,321
1990s 55 6 +12% #9,488
2000s 334 33 +507% #2,938
2010s 1,240 124 +271% #1,366
2020s (to 2025) 820 137 +10% #1,271

Where Zella 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 113 0.07 outside top 500
2027 109 0.07 outside top 500
2028 106 0.07 outside top 500
2029 103 0.06 outside top 500
2030 101 0.06 outside top 500

Where Zella is most popular

Girls named Zella per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.086 per 1,000. Strongest in Idaho, Missouri, and Tennessee.

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 Zella 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
Idaho 11 0.329 +283%
Missouri 29 0.241 +180%
Tennessee 27 0.170 +99%
Oregon 11 0.169 +97%
Indiana 18 0.128 +49%
Arkansas 6 0.114 +32%
Ohio 25 0.105 +23%
Michigan 19 0.104 +22%
Kansas 6 0.104 +21%
Illinois 21 0.092 +7%
North Carolina 20 0.088 ≈ national
Washington 12 0.083 ≈ national
Texas 66 0.082 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 18 0.076 -11%
Utah 5 0.060 -30%
Kentucky 5 0.058 -32%
California 48 0.057 -33%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -43%
Florida 14 0.033 -62%
New York 10 0.025 -71%
Georgia 5 0.022 -74%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Zella

Zella is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,746 in 2025 with 117 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 13,369 American babies have been named Zella. Its peak came in 1917, when 298 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

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 Zella stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Zella?

The median living Zella is about 18 years old; half are between 7 and 75. An estimated 4,300 people named Zella are alive in the United States today.

median 18 020406080100

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

Zella year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 117 #1,746
2024 109 #1,851
2023 131 #1,601
2022 156 #1,442
2021 183 #1,271
2020 124 #1,667
2019 162 #1,391
2018 166 #1,366
2017 160 #1,431
2016 156 #1,479
2015 157 #1,469
2014 84 #2,255
2013 102 #1,952
2012 92 #2,094
2011 90 #2,142
2010 71 #2,588
2009 60 #2,938
2008 53 #3,221
2007 48 #3,480
2006 40 #3,853
2005 35 #4,115
2004 34 #4,171
2003 17 #6,882
2002 15 #7,439
2001 16 #6,952
2000 16 #6,805
1995 7 #11,775
1990 – –
1985 5 #12,499
1980 6 #10,390
1975 15 #4,368
1970 14 #4,244
1965 35 #1,992
1960 37 #1,885
1955 50 #1,444
1950 89 #958
1945 98 #761
1940 114 #656
1935 131 #560
1930 184 #493
1925 228 #458
1920 244 #429
1915 265 #371
1910 151 #313
1905 110 #323
1900 171 #247
1895 137 #235
1890 108 #236
1885 56 #265
1880 31 #281

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Zella?

The median living Zella is about 18 years old. Half of all living Zellas are between 7 and 75 years old.

How many people named Zella are alive today?

An estimated 4,300 people named Zella are alive in the United States, based on 13,369 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Zella in 2025?

Zella ranked #1,746 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 117 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Zella?

13,369 babies have been named Zella in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Zella most popular?

Zella peaked in 1917, when 298 newborns received the name.

Is Zella a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Zella rising or falling?

Zella has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Zella become more popular?

Zella is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 101 girls named Zella in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Zella

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

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