Zaelyn
A feminine name of modern American origin meaning "grace from God".
Name Census estimates that about 686 living Americans carry the first name Zaelyn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 53.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Zaelyn today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zaelyn births was 2021 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zaelyn. 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
686
~ 1 in 499,642 Americans
Peak year
2021
60 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,677
Tracked since 2004
Gender
Gender distribution for Zaelyn
Zaelyn is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 691 total registrations, 370 (53.5%) were male and 321 (46.5%) were female.
Zaelyn as a male name
- Ranked #3,677 in 2024
- 31 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (34 births)
Zaelyn as a female name
- Ranked #9,505 in 2024
- 11 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (26 births)
Popularity
Zaelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zaelyn 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 349 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zaelyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zaelyn 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 Zaelyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zaelyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Zaelyn, while Tennessee, North Carolina, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zaelyn
The name Zaelyn is a relatively modern construction, created in the late 20th century. It is likely a variant spelling of the name Zelene, which has its origins in the Slavic languages. Zelene is derived from the Slavic root "zeleny," meaning "green" or "verdant." This root can be found in other Slavic names like Zelenika and Zelenka.
While Zaelyn itself does not have a long historical lineage, the name Zelene has been recorded in various parts of Eastern Europe for centuries. Some of the earliest written records of this name can be found in old Czech and Slovak parish registers dating back to the 16th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Zelene was a Czech noblewoman named Zelene Stračková, who lived in the late 16th century. She was a prominent figure in the court of Emperor Rudolf II and was known for her patronage of the arts.
In the 18th century, there was a Russian poet and playwright named Zelene Gavrilovna Kaptereva (1728-1803). She is considered one of the pioneers of Russian drama and is remembered for her contributions to the development of the Russian literary language.
Another notable figure with this name was Zelene Ivanovna Zhukova (1876-1947), a Russian revolutionary and Bolshevik activist. She played a significant role in the Russian Revolution of 1917 and later held important positions in the Soviet government.
In more recent times, one of the most famous bearers of the name Zelene was the Czech tennis player Zelene Suková (born 1965). She was a former world No. 1 in doubles and won numerous Grand Slam titles throughout her career.
While Zaelyn is a modern invention, it draws inspiration from the long-standing Slavic tradition of naming, particularly the use of nature-inspired names. The name's connection to the color green and its verdant associations give it a sense of freshness and vitality, which may contribute to its appeal in the modern era.
People
Zaelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zaelyn 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
Zaelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zaelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 686 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zaelyn 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 499,642 US residents.
Is Zaelyn a common name?
We classify Zaelyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 691 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zaelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Zaelyn was 2021, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zaelyn is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zaelyn a male name?
Yes, 53.5% of people registered as Zaelyn in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.