Zabella
A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "beautiful soul".
Name Census estimates that about 236 living Americans carry the first name Zabella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zabella today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zabella births was 2019 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zabella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
236
~ 1 in 1,452,349 Americans
Peak year
2019
35 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,212
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Zabella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zabella from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 134 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zabella remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zabella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Zabella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zabellas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Zabella, while Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zabella
The name Zabella finds its origins in the Persian language, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 7th century AD during the Sassanid Empire in ancient Persia. It is derived from the Persian word "ziba," which means beautiful or graceful, and the suffix "-ella," a diminutive form often used in Persian names.
One of the earliest known references to the name Zabella can be found in the Shahnameh, the epic poetry book written by the renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. In this literary work, Zabella is mentioned as a beautiful and virtuous Persian princess.
During the medieval period, the name Zabella gained popularity among the Persian aristocracy and nobility. One notable figure bearing this name was Zabella Khatun, a 13th-century Persian princess and the wife of the Seljuk Sultan Kaykhusraw II (1237-1246 AD).
In the 14th century, the name Zabella appeared in the writings of the famous Persian poet and mystic, Hafiz. In one of his ghazals (lyric poems), he praised the beauty and grace of a woman named Zabella, further solidifying the name's association with elegance and charm.
Another historical figure bearing the name Zabella was Zabella Begum, a 16th-century Persian noblewoman and the wife of the Mughal Emperor Humayun (1508-1556 AD). She played a significant role in the political affairs of the Mughal Empire during her husband's reign.
In the 19th century, the name Zabella resurfaced in the works of the celebrated Persian poet and philosopher, Sohrab Sepehri (1928-1980 AD). In his poetry collection titled "The Traveler," he dedicated a poem to a woman named Zabella, celebrating her beauty and grace.
While the name Zabella has its roots in ancient Persia, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and regions over the centuries, particularly in areas influenced by Persian culture and literature.
People
Zabella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zabella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zabella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zabella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 236 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zabella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,452,349 US residents.
Is Zabella a common name?
We classify Zabella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 238 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zabella most popular?
The single biggest year for Zabella was 2019, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zabella is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Zabella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zabella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zabella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Zabella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zabella in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Zabella can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Zabella?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Zabella on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.