Unisex name ★ peaked 2024

Zia

Meaning light Gender Unisex · 91% girls Rank 2025 #1,477 Trend ↑ Rising 10%

Borrowed from Arabic ضِيَاء (ḍiyāʔ, “light”) via Spanish.

Rank 2025
#1,477
among girls · ↓285 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
157
named Zia · -26% vs 2024
How common
1 in 11,009
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2024
213 babies
All-time total
3,550
#3,436 all-time among girls
First recorded
1976
in Social Security records

Zia popularity over time

3,550 babies have been named Zia since 1976, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s 5 – 5 1 – #10,911
1980s 50 10 60 6 +1100% #6,530
1990s 201 25 226 23 +277% #3,508
2000s 646 69 715 72 +216% #2,070
2010s 1,303 140 1,443 144 +102% #1,228
2020s (to 2025) 1,023 78 1,101 184 +27% #1,192

Where Zia 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 148 0.09 outside top 500
2027 150 0.09 outside top 500
2028 152 0.09 outside top 500
2029 154 0.10 outside top 500
2030 155 0.10 outside top 500

Where Zia is most popular

Girls named Zia per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.106 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, District of Columbia, and Colorado.

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 Zia 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
New Mexico 61 2.51 +2261%
District of Columbia 5 0.422 +297%
Colorado 21 0.188 +77%
Washington 27 0.187 +76%
California 147 0.175 +65%
Virginia 22 0.129 +21%
Texas 101 0.126 +18%
Georgia 28 0.123 +16%
Ohio 26 0.110 ≈ national
Florida 44 0.103 ≈ national
New York 40 0.101 -5%
Arizona 14 0.100 -6%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -19%
New Jersey 12 0.066 -37%
North Carolina 13 0.057 -46%
Pennsylvania 12 0.051 -52%
Illinois 10 0.044 -59%
Massachusetts 5 0.041 -61%
Indiana 5 0.036 -66%
Michigan 5 0.027 -74%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Zia

Zia is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,477 in 2025 with 146 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1976, 3,550 American babies have been named Zia, about 91% girls and 9% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2024, when 213 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 Zia stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Zia?

The median living Zia is about 10 years old; half are between 4 and 17. An estimated 3,500 people named Zia are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

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

Zia 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 146 #1,477 11 #7,673
2024 200 #1,192 13 #6,829
2023 183 #1,263 11 #7,734
2022 181 #1,308 22 #4,700
2021 152 #1,425 11 #7,582
2020 161 #1,360 10 #8,061
2019 192 #1,228 18 #5,339
2018 142 #1,539 14 #6,341
2017 119 #1,769 11 #7,541
2016 143 #1,566 9 #8,806
2015 130 #1,653 14 #6,321
2014 122 #1,727 13 #6,629
2013 135 #1,598 16 #5,657
2012 129 #1,662 16 #5,718
2011 109 #1,856 16 #5,673
2010 82 #2,340 13 #6,695
2009 95 #2,138 8 #9,858
2008 71 #2,628 15 #6,066
2007 99 #2,070 9 #8,909
2006 79 #2,394 – –
2005 51 #3,125 6 #11,460
2004 59 #2,780 5 #13,218
2003 54 #2,884 7 #9,576
2002 37 #3,653 7 #9,386
2001 49 #2,962 5 #12,296
2000 52 #2,816 7 #9,106
1995 20 #5,018 – –
1990 12 #7,301 6 #8,114
1985 5 #12,501 5 #7,583
1980 5 #12,158 – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Zia?

The median living Zia is about 10 years old. Half of all living Zias are between 4 and 17 years old.

How many people named Zia are alive today?

An estimated 3,500 people named Zia are alive in the United States, based on 3,550 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Zia mean?

Borrowed from Arabic ضِيَاء (ḍiyāʔ, “light”) via Spanish.

How popular is the name Zia in 2025?

Zia ranked #1,477 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 146 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Zia?

3,550 babies have been named Zia in the United States since 1976, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Zia most popular?

Zia peaked in 2024, when 213 newborns received the name.

Is Zia a boy or girl name?

Zia is used for both: about 91% of babies named Zia have been girls and 9% boys.

Is the name Zia rising or falling?

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

Will Zia become more popular?

Zia looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 155 girls named Zia in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Zia

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

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