Zanylah
An inventive, creative feminine name of Arabic origin.
Name Census estimates that about 307 living Americans carry the first name Zanylah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zanylah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zanylah births was 2019 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zanylah. 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
307
~ 1 in 1,116,464 Americans
Peak year
2019
32 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,934
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Zanylah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zanylah 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 174 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zanylah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zanylah 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 Zanylah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zanylahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Florida, Illinois, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Zanylah, while Tennessee, Illinois, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zanylah
The name Zanylah is a relatively modern invention, likely created by combining elements from various existing names and words. It does not appear to have a definitive origin in any specific language or culture.
Some linguistic experts speculate that the name could be a portmanteau, blending the word "zany" (meaning amusingly eccentric or unconventional) with the Hebrew name Leah or the Arabic name Layla. This combination may have been intended to convey a sense of quirky charm or uniqueness.
While the name Zanylah does not have a long historical lineage, there are a few notable individuals who have borne this moniker in recent times. One of the earliest recorded instances is Zanylah Pearson, an American singer and songwriter born in 1989, known for her work in the R&B and pop genres.
Another individual with this name is Zanylah Hasan, a British-Pakistani actress born in 1992, who has appeared in several television series and films. Her notable roles include appearances in the shows "Cuckoo" and "The Bay."
In 2010, Zanylah Faulk made headlines as one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the United States, launching her own line of hair accessories and beauty products at the age of 10. Her business venture, Zanylah's Glam Boutique, garnered attention for her entrepreneurial spirit at such a young age.
Zanylah Gooden, born in 1997, is an American track and field athlete who specializes in hurdles events. She has represented the United States in various international competitions and has won multiple medals at the youth and junior levels.
Lastly, Zanylah Thompson, born in 2005, gained recognition as a child prodigy in the field of mathematics. At the age of 9, she was already studying advanced calculus and was invited to attend prestigious universities around the world due to her exceptional mathematical abilities.
While the name Zanylah is relatively new and does not have a deep historical background, it has been adopted by individuals from diverse backgrounds and has gained some recognition through their achievements in various fields.
People
Zanylah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zanylah 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
Zanylah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zanylah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 307 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zanylah 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 1,116,464 US residents.
Is Zanylah a common name?
We classify Zanylah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 309 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zanylah most popular?
The single biggest year for Zanylah was 2019, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zanylah 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 Zanylah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zanylah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zanylah 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 Zanylah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zanylah 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 Zanylah 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 share the name Zanylah?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Zanylah at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.