NameCensus.
Very Rare

Zaela

A feminine name of uncertain origin suggesting grace or beauty.

Name Census estimates that about 182 living Americans carry the first name Zaela. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zaela today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zaela births was 2024 (21 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Zaela. 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

182

~ 1 in 1,883,266 Americans

Peak year

2024

21 babies that year

Average age

8

years old

2024 SSA rank

#5,933

Tracked since 2005

Popularity

Zaela: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Zaela 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 90 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.

Babies born per year

051116212005201020152020

Decades

Zaela 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 Zaela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s01010
2010s09090
2020s08383

Geography

Where Zaelas live

Origin

Meaning and history of Zaela

The name Zaela is a rare and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It is believed to have emerged from ancient Sumerian culture, one of the earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia, dating back to around 3500 BCE. The name may have derived from the Sumerian word "za'elu," which translates to "precious" or "valuable."

Sumerian culture flourished in the region now known as southern Iraq, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers converge. Their cuneiform writing system, one of the earliest known forms of writing, has provided glimpses into their rich mythology and traditions. However, no definitive ancient texts or records have been found that directly reference the name Zaela.

The earliest known use of the name Zaela can be traced back to the 12th century CE. One notable figure bearing this name was Zaela of Siena, a Italian nun and mystic who lived from 1188 to 1278. She was renowned for her spiritual visions and her dedication to the Church.

Another historical figure with the name Zaela was Zaela al-Andalusi, a 13th-century Andalusian poet and scholar who lived in what is now Spain during the reign of the Almohad Caliphate. Her poetic works, written in Arabic, were highly regarded in her time and showcased her intellectual prowess.

In the 16th century, Zaela Vespucci, an Italian noblewoman born in 1523, gained recognition for her patronage of the arts and her support for Renaissance artists and intellectuals. Her influence and wealth allowed her to commission numerous works of art and literature, leaving a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of her era.

Moving forward to the 18th century, Zaela Beaumont, a French philosopher and writer born in 1745, made her mark through her thought-provoking essays and treatises on ethics, society, and the human condition. Her works were widely read and debated among intellectual circles of the time.

Lastly, in the 19th century, Zaela Kovalevskaya, a Russian mathematician and writer born in 1850, broke barriers as one of the first women to pursue higher education in mathematics and science. Her groundbreaking contributions to the field of partial differential equations and her literary works, which often explored themes of gender and societal norms, earned her widespread acclaim.

While the name Zaela may be uncommon, its echoes throughout history resonate with a sense of preciousness and value, reflecting the essence of its ancient Sumerian origins. From mystics and poets to scholars and mathematicians, those who have borne this name have left an indelible mark on their respective fields and the world around them.

People

Zaela + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Zaela 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

Zaela: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Zaela?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 182 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zaela 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 1,883,266 US residents.

Is Zaela a common name?

We classify Zaela as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 183 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Zaela most popular?

The single biggest year for Zaela was 2024, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zaela is about 8 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 Zaela in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Zaela a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zaela 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 Zaela still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Zaela 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 Zaela 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 people are called Zaela?

You can see how many Americans are named Zaela on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.

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There are 182 people

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Zaela

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