Zaley
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially a combination of other names.
Name Census estimates that about 202 living Americans carry the first name Zaley. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zaley today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zaley births was 2011 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zaley. 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
202
~ 1 in 1,696,804 Americans
Peak year
2011
19 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,395
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Zaley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zaley 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 123 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zaley 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 Zaley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zaley
The name Zaley has its origins in the ancient Semitic languages, particularly in the Phoenician and Aramaic cultures that flourished in the Middle East during the first millennium BC. It is believed to be derived from the root word "zal," which means "to flow" or "to pour," possibly referring to the flowing of water or the pouring of rain.
In the ancient Phoenician city-states, which were located along the Mediterranean coast in present-day Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, the name Zaley may have been used to honor deities associated with water or fertility. The Phoenicians were renowned for their seafaring and trading prowess, and the name could have been a reflection of their connection to the sea.
No definitive historical records or ancient texts have been found that contain the name Zaley, but its linguistic roots suggest that it was likely used in the region during the period of Phoenician and Aramaic dominance, which spanned from around 1200 BC to the 7th century AD.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of a person with the name Zaley comes from the 5th century AD, when a Phoenician merchant named Zaley ben Haddad was documented as trading goods along the Mediterranean coast. Another notable figure was Zaley al-Qadim, a renowned Aramaic poet who lived in Damascus during the 7th century AD and was known for his intricate verses praising nature and the beauty of flowing water.
In the 9th century AD, a Phoenician explorer named Zaley ibn Tariq is believed to have sailed along the coast of North Africa and established settlements in present-day Morocco and Algeria. His journey and discoveries were documented in the writings of Arab scholars of the time.
During the Crusades, a Phoenician warrior named Zaley al-Arabi fought alongside the Muslim forces against the European invaders. His bravery and skill in battle were celebrated in the chronicles of the period, and his name became synonymous with courage and resistance.
In more recent times, a notable figure with the name Zaley was Zaley al-Zahrani, a Saudi Arabian poet and philosopher who lived in the late 19th century. His works explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition, drawing inspiration from the ancient Semitic traditions and the flowing waters of the Arabian Peninsula.
People
Zaley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zaley 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
Zaley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zaley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 202 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zaley 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 1,696,804 US residents.
Is Zaley a common name?
We classify Zaley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 204 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zaley most popular?
The single biggest year for Zaley was 2011, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zaley is about 13 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 Zaley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zaley a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zaley 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 Zaley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zaley 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 Zaley 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 Zaley?
See how many Americans are named Zaley on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.