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Zelda

ZEL-duh /ˈzɛldə/

At a glance

U.S. rank 2025
#832 of girl names
Babies in 2025
328 (0.019% of girls)
Trend
Slipping #558 in 2020 #832 in 2025
Peak
#374 in 1911
First recorded
1880

Meaning of Zelda

Zelda (ZEL-duh) is a spirited old-world gem with roots in Germanic lore—think “gray battle” in Old High German—and a hint of Yiddish sunshine that means “blessed.” She carries the bohemian sparkle of Zelda Fitzgerald, the jazz-age muse who sipped café con leche in Paris, and she wears a modern crown thanks to the video-game princess who keeps heroes on their toes. Always a bit of a comeback kid, Zelda has climbed steadily up U.S. charts in the last decade, proving that a name can feel both vintage and muy fresca at once. Short, strong, and just a little magical, Zelda invites a child to charge forward like a conquistadora of her own dreams—bold, creative, and ready to turn everyday moments into fiestas of possibility.

How to pronounce Zelda

English

Popularity of Zelda in the U.S.

Zelda was the #832 girl name in the U.S. in 2025, with 328 babies. It peaked at #374 in 1911 and has been in the top 1,000 since 2015.

Bar and line chart: Zelda in the U.S., 1880–2025. Bars: girls given the name each year, most 526 in 2020 and 328 in 2025. Line: rank among girl names, peak #374 in 1911, #832 in 2025.
  • Girls named Zelda (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. girl names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 1880⁠–⁠2025 144 rows
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
2025328832▼ 85
2024377747▼ 43
2023403704▼ 34
2022435670▼ 62
2021492608▼ 50
2020526558▲ 106
2019436664▲ 3
2018442667▼ 19
2017456648▲ 39
2016426687▼ 39
2015443648▲ 508
20142141,156▲ 130
20131831,286▲ 280
20121391,566▲ 732
2011812,298▲ 316
2010692,614▲ 326
2009592,940▲ 180
2008543,120▲ 94
2007533,214▲ 102
2006493,316▲ 330
2005403,646▲ 846
2004304,492▼ 74
2003294,418▲ 488
2002244,906▲ 268
2001225,174▼ 1,191
2000313,983▲ 1,441
1999195,424▲ 936
1998156,360▲ 4,476
1997710,836▼ 4,444
1996146,392▲ 6,994
1995513,386▼ 7,673
1994165,713▲ 551
1993146,264▲ 50
1992146,314▼ 1,817
1991224,497▲ 563
1990185,060▼ 390
1989194,670▲ 170
1988174,840▲ 1,083
1987125,923▼ 1,199
1986164,724▲ 624
1985135,348▲ 191
1984125,539▼ 1,430
1983184,109▲ 1,425
1982125,534▼ 1,002
1981164,532▼ 540
1980193,992▲ 1,435
1979125,427▼ 1,650
1978193,777▼ 775
1977263,002▲ 810
1976173,812▼ 1,069
1975272,743▼ 187
1974292,556▼ 101
1973302,455▼ 433
1972392,022▲ 85
1971392,107▼ 617
1970671,490▲ 158
1969531,648▼ 558
1968951,090▼ 93
1967105997▼ 57
1966117940▲ 56
1965109996▼ 92
1964133904▼ 111
1963171793▼ 12
1962178781▲ 24
1961169805▲ 104
1960135909▼ 49
1959142860▲ 32
1958131892▲ 11
1957127903▼ 65
1956141838▲ 52
1955120890▲ 43
1954107933▼ 27
1953107906▲ 48
195296954▲ 42
195188996▼ 111
1950101885▲ 50
194990935▼ 93
1948108842▲ 56
194797898▼ 166
1946122732▲ 71
194588803▼ 88
1944111715▼ 10
1943118705▲ 20
1942106725▼ 44
1941106681▼ 63
1940128618▼ 25
1939127593▼ 25
1938145568▼ 12
1937147556▲ 37
1936124593▼ 91
1935161502▼ 34
1934189468▲ 38
1933160506▼ 38
1932197468▲ 20
1931175488▼ 38
1930225450▲ 5
1929209455▼ 9
1928233446▲ 7
1927236453▼ 9
1926231444▼ 8
1925251436▲ 6
1924250442▲ 13
1923227455▼ 40
1922251415▼ 10
1921280405▲ 65
1920208470▼ 32
1919225438▼ 22
1918250416▼ 9
1917240407▼ 18
1916258389▲ 8
1915230397▲ 30
1914159427▼ 38
1913155389▲ 8
1912134397▼ 23
1911117374▲ 52
191086426▲ 51
190962477▼ 89
190886388▲ 46
190767434▼ 6
190664428▼ 41
190576387▲ 8
190468395▲ 83
190345478▲ 40
190238518▼ 66
190143452▲ 47
190046499▼ 1
189935498▲ 4
189838502▲ 82
189727584▼ 46
189631538▲ 27
189528565▲ 21
189425586▼ 25
189325561▲ 201
189215762▼ 93
189116669▲ 58
189014727▼ 3
188913724▲ 69
188811793▲ 354
188751,147▼ 319
18868828▲ 93
18856921▼ 70
18847851back
18826813back
18806738–

Zelda by state

Zelda ranks #483 in Oklahoma (2025).

Map: Zelda's 2025 rank among girl names in each U.S. state
Rank among girl names by state, 2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Rank by state 23 states
StateRankBabies
Oklahoma4838
Arizona57811
Oregon6195
Maryland6517
New York65825
Washington6799
California70044
Colorado7037
Alabama7166
Ohio74312
Illinois74812
New Jersey7749
Texas78038
Georgia79612
Missouri8116
Minnesota8355
Virginia8438
Massachusetts8735
North Carolina90510
Indiana9166
Pennsylvania9279
Michigan1,0616
Florida1,24311

Notable people named Zelda

  • Zelda Fitzgerald was an American novelist and socialite, renowned as the first flapper and married to F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose life was marked by mental health challenges.
  • Zelda Rae Williams is an American actress and director, daughter of Robin Williams, best known for voicing Kuvira in The Legend of Korra.
  • Zelda Barbour Wynn Valdes was an American fashion designer who created the original Playboy Bunny waitress costumes.
  • Zelda Fay D'Aprano was an Australian feminist activist who fought for equal pay by chaining herself to government buildings in 1969, co-founded the Women's Action Committee, and was honored with a statue in Melbourne in 2023.
  • Zelda May Rubinstein was an American actress and human rights activist, famous for her role in Poltergeist and her advocacy for little people and HIV/AIDS awareness.
More people named Zelda 2 more
  • Zelda, an Israeli poet, won three awards for her published works.
  • Zelda Harrison Seguin Wallace was an American opera singer and suffragist.