Zaia
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly Hebrew or Indian.
Name Census estimates that about 556 living Americans carry the first name Zaia. It is a predominantly female name (97.0% of registrations). The average person named Zaia today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zaia births was 2023 (129 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zaia. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Zaia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
556
~ 1 in 616,465 Americans
Peak year
2023
129 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2023 SSA rank
#2,399
Tracked since 2003
Census
Zaia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 282 people with the first name Zaia, which placed it at #30,717 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#30,717
National first-name rank
People counted
282
282 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
42.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zaia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zaia is White at 42.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Hispanic (18.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Zaia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Zaia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.2% · 119
- Black or African American24.5% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino18.8% · 53
- Two or more races9.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 13
Gender
Gender distribution for Zaia
Zaia leans heavily female at 97.0% of total registrations, but 17 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Zaia as a male name
- Ranked #8,233 in 2023
- 10 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (10 births)
Zaia as a female name
- Ranked #2,399 in 2024
- 76 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (119 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Zaia on both sides of the split. Of the 285 people counted with this name, 87 were male (30.5%) and 198 were female (69.5%).
Popularity
Zaia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zaia from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 370 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
Decades
Zaia 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 Zaia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zaias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Zaia, while North Carolina, Illinois, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zaia
The name Zaia is believed to have its origins in the ancient Greek language. It is thought to be derived from the Greek word "zao," which means "to live" or "to be alive." The earliest known usage of the name dates back to the classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th century BCE.
In ancient Greek mythology, Zaia was the name of a minor goddess associated with the concept of life and vitality. She was often depicted as a young woman with a radiant glow, symbolizing the vibrancy and energy of life. Some scholars have also suggested that the name may have been used as a title or epithet for more prominent deities associated with nature and fertility.
The name Zaia appears to have been relatively uncommon in ancient Greece, but there are a few notable historical figures who bore this name. One such figure was Zaia of Crete, a philosopher and poet who lived in the 3rd century BCE. She was known for her writings on the nature of the soul and the pursuit of wisdom.
Another historical figure with the name Zaia was a Byzantine noblewoman who lived in the 10th century CE. She was a member of the imperial court and was known for her influential role in political and cultural affairs during the reign of Emperor Basil II.
In the realm of literature, there is a character named Zaia in the ancient Greek novel "Daphnis and Chloe," written by Longus in the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Zaia is portrayed as a beautiful and virtuous young woman who serves as a romantic interest for one of the main characters.
During the Renaissance period, the name Zaia resurfaced in some artistic and literary circles, although it remained relatively rare. One notable figure was Zaia Bembo, an Italian poet and scholar who lived in the 16th century. She was celebrated for her mastery of classical Greek literature and her contributions to the humanist movement.
In more recent times, the name Zaia has been used sporadically, often as a variant or alternative spelling of other names like Zoya or Zara. However, its ancient Greek origins and associations with life and vitality have likely contributed to its enduring appeal and occasional usage throughout history.
People
Zaia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zaia 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
Zaia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zaia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 556 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zaia 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 616,465 US residents.
Is Zaia a common name?
We classify Zaia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 560 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zaia most popular?
The single biggest year for Zaia was 2023, when 129 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zaia is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zaia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 282 people with the name Zaia, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,717 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Zaia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Zaia?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Zaia on both sides of the split. Of the 285 people counted with this name, 87 were male (30.5%) and 198 were female (69.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Zaia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zaia is White at 42.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Hispanic (18.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Zaia most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Zaia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.2% (119 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Zaia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zaia a female name?
Yes, 97.0% of people registered as Zaia 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 Zaia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zaia 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 Zaia 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.
How many people have Zaia as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Zaia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.