Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2018

Zola

Meaning Zola is both a surname and a given name Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,338 Trend ↓ Falling 23%

Zola is both a surname and a given name.

Rank 2025
#1,338
among girls · ↓234 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
167
named Zola · -25% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,624
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2018
283 babies
All-time total
9,312
#1,765 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Zola popularity over time

9,312 babies have been named Zola 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
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 138 – 138 14 – #470
1890s 442 – 442 44 +220% #365
1900s 579 – 579 58 +31% #396
1910s 1,285 11 1,296 130 +124% #444
1920s 1,493 10 1,503 150 +16% #528
1930s 812 – 812 81 -46% #643
1940s 514 – 514 51 -37% #917
1950s 348 – 348 35 -32% #1,584
1960s 149 – 149 15 -57% #2,542
1970s 100 – 100 10 -33% #4,037
1980s 51 – 51 5 -49% #7,560
1990s 90 – 90 9 +76% #5,218
2000s 360 – 360 36 +300% #3,134
2010s 1,525 5 1,530 153 +325% #954
2020s (to 2025) 1,400 – 1,400 233 +53% #935

Where Zola 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 159 0.10 outside top 500
2027 153 0.10 outside top 500
2028 148 0.09 outside top 500
2029 144 0.09 outside top 500
2030 140 0.09 outside top 500

Where Zola is most popular

Girls named Zola per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.138 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

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 Zola 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
District of Columbia 5 0.422 +205%
South Carolina 30 0.334 +141%
North Carolina 71 0.312 +125%
Georgia 68 0.299 +116%
Michigan 44 0.242 +75%
Pennsylvania 56 0.237 +71%
Missouri 27 0.224 +62%
Ohio 49 0.207 +49%
Tennessee 29 0.183 +32%
New York 71 0.179 +30%
Indiana 25 0.178 +29%
Virginia 28 0.164 +19%
Maryland 17 0.160 +16%
New Jersey 27 0.150 +8%
Alabama 14 0.149 +8%
Florida 58 0.136 ≈ national
Illinois 31 0.135 ≈ national
Massachusetts 15 0.124 -10%
Mississippi 5 0.107 -23%
Kansas 6 0.104 -25%
Louisiana 9 0.103 -26%
Texas 73 0.091 -34%
Iowa 5 0.086 -38%
Oklahoma 6 0.082 -41%
California 66 0.079 -43%
Kentucky 5 0.058 -58%
Washington 8 0.055 -60%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -65%
Colorado 5 0.045 -68%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
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 Zola

Zola is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,338 in 2025 with 167 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 9,312 American babies have been named Zola. Its peak came in 2018, when 283 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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

How old are people named Zola?

The median living Zola is about 9 years old; half are between 5 and 40. An estimated 4,500 people named Zola are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

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

Zola 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 167 #1,338 – –
2024 222 #1,104 – –
2023 219 #1,123 – –
2022 250 #1,029 – –
2021 265 #982 – –
2020 277 #935 – –
2019 266 #977 – –
2018 278 #954 5 #14,108
2017 240 #1,068 – –
2016 186 #1,293 – –
2015 130 #1,654 – –
2014 127 #1,673 – –
2013 101 #1,967 – –
2012 96 #2,027 – –
2011 57 #3,013 – –
2010 44 #3,623 – –
2009 50 #3,360 – –
2008 48 #3,476 – –
2007 46 #3,600 – –
2006 54 #3,134 – –
2005 35 #4,117 – –
2004 24 #5,376 – –
2003 31 #4,306 – –
2002 18 #6,390 – –
2001 28 #4,445 – –
2000 26 #4,648 – –
1995 7 #11,780 – –
1990 – – – –
1985 9 #7,560 – –
1980 5 #12,160 – –
1975 7 #7,982 – –
1970 15 #4,037 – –
1965 16 #3,261 – –
1960 22 #2,648 – –
1955 36 #1,773 – –
1950 31 #1,718 – –
1945 38 #1,311 – –
1940 61 #927 – –
1935 54 #953 – –
1930 111 #654 – –
1925 154 #582 – –
1920 180 #528 – –
1915 148 #512 – –
1910 79 #455 – –
1905 66 #422 – –
1900 48 #493 – –
1895 60 #365 – –
1890 32 #467 – –
1885 12 #657 – –
1880 7 #737 – –

Famous people named Zola

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

  1. 1 Zola Budd Zola Budd South African runner (born 1966) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Zola?

The median living Zola is about 9 years old. Half of all living Zolas are between 5 and 40 years old.

How many people named Zola are alive today?

An estimated 4,500 people named Zola are alive in the United States, based on 9,312 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Zola mean?

Zola is both a surname and a given name.

How popular is the name Zola in 2025?

Zola ranked #1,338 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 167 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Zola?

9,312 babies have been named Zola in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Zola most popular?

Zola peaked in 2018, when 283 newborns received the name.

Is Zola a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Zola rising or falling?

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

Will Zola become more popular?

Zola is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 140 girls named Zola 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 Zola?

Well-known people named Zola include Zola Budd (athlete).

Names like Zola

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

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