Zamya
A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "frost" or "winter".
Name Census estimates that about 1,173 living Americans carry the first name Zamya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zamya today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zamya births was 2009 (82 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zamya. 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.
Key insights
- • Zamya is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 292,203 Americans
Peak year
2009
82 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,892
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Zamya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zamya from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 511 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
Zamya 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 Zamya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zamyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Georgia, North Carolina, Texas recorded the most babies named Zamya, while Ohio, Michigan, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zamya
The name Zamya is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sumerian civilization, which flourished in Mesopotamia between the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE. It is derived from the Sumerian word "zamyu," which means "precious stone" or "gem." The Sumerians were known for their advanced knowledge of gemstones and their use in jewelry-making and decorative arts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zamya can be found in a cuneiform tablet from the city of Ur, dating back to approximately 2300 BCE. This tablet contains a list of names, including Zamya-ili, which translates to "Zamya is my god." This suggests that the name may have held religious significance in ancient Sumerian society.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Zamya. One such person was Zamya of Lagash, a high priestess who lived in the city-state of Lagash (present-day Iraq) during the 24th century BCE. She was renowned for her wisdom and her role in the religious ceremonies of the time.
Another prominent figure was Zamya the Scribe, who lived in the city of Nippur (also in present-day Iraq) around 2000 BCE. He was a skilled calligrapher and is credited with transcribing and preserving several important literary works from the Sumerian civilization.
In the 6th century BCE, there was a Persian prince named Zamya, who was a member of the Achaemenid dynasty. He is mentioned in the inscriptions of King Darius I, where he is referred to as a satrap (governor) of one of the provinces of the Persian Empire.
During the Hellenistic period, a Greek philosopher named Zamya of Miletus lived in the 5th century BCE. He was a student of the renowned philosopher Anaxagoras and is said to have written several treatises on metaphysics and cosmology, although none of his works have survived to the present day.
In more recent times, there was an Italian Renaissance painter named Zamya Fiorentini, who lived in the 15th century CE. He was known for his intricate frescoes and religious paintings, some of which can still be seen in churches and museums across Italy.
It is worth noting that while the name Zamya has its roots in ancient Sumerian culture, it has been adopted and adapted by various other civilizations and cultures throughout history, each adding their own unique interpretations and meanings to this ancient name.
People
Zamya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zamya 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
Zamya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zamya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,173 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zamya 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 292,203 US residents.
Is Zamya a common name?
We classify Zamya as "Rare". It ranks above 91.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,185 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zamya most popular?
The single biggest year for Zamya was 2009, when 82 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zamya is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zamya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zamya 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.
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.