Zelia
A feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps from the Greek "zelotes" meaning "zealous".
Name Census estimates that about 536 living Americans carry the first name Zelia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zelia today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zelia births was 2015 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zelia. 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 Zelia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
536
~ 1 in 639,467 Americans
Peak year
2015
25 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,592
Tracked since 1883
Census
Zelia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 976 people with the first name Zelia, which placed it at #12,669 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
#12,669
National first-name rank
People counted
976
976 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
64.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zelia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zelia is White at 64.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.1%) and Black (12.7%). 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 Zelia 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 Zelia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.5% · 630
- Hispanic or Latino16.1% · 157
- Black or African American12.7% · 124
- Two or more races3.3% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 8
Popularity
Zelia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zelia from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 192 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zelia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zelia 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 Zelia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zelias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Zelia, while Ohio, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zelia
The given name Zelia has its origins in ancient Greek culture, tracing back to the late classical period around the 4th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "zelos," which translates to "zeal" or "ardent pursuit." The name was initially associated with passionate and driven individuals, particularly those who exhibited a strong dedication to their beliefs or endeavors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zelia can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. In his work "Nicomachean Ethics," he mentions a character named Zelia, who is praised for her unwavering commitment to virtue and wisdom. This reference suggests that the name was already in use during the 4th century BCE, albeit likely among the educated elites of ancient Greek society.
Throughout the classical period, the name Zelia remained relatively uncommon, primarily confined to the Greek-speaking regions of the Mediterranean. However, it experienced a resurgence in popularity during the Byzantine era, particularly among Christians who embraced the name's connotations of zeal and fervor for one's faith.
One notable figure in history who bore the name Zelia was Zelia Codreanu, a Romanian noblewoman born in the 16th century. She was renowned for her role in leading the resistance against Ottoman rule in the region of Moldavia, displaying an unwavering zeal in defending her homeland and people.
In the 18th century, the name Zelia gained further recognition through the works of the French author and playwright Voltaire. In his philosophical novel "Candide," one of the main characters, a young woman, is named Zelia. This literary reference helped to introduce the name to a wider European audience and may have contributed to its subsequent use in various parts of the continent.
Another prominent individual named Zelia was Zelia Nuttall, an American archaeologist and anthropologist born in 1857. She made significant contributions to the study of ancient Mexican civilizations, exhibiting a passionate zeal for uncovering and preserving the cultural heritage of Pre-Columbian societies.
In the realm of literature, Zelia Waller, an American poet and writer born in 1840, gained recognition for her poetic works that celebrated nature and the beauty of the American landscape. Her passionate devotion to her craft and her ability to evoke a sense of zeal through her poetry earned her acclaim during her lifetime.
Finally, in the field of education, Zelia Brown, an American educator born in 1893, made significant strides in promoting equal educational opportunities for African American children. Her unwavering commitment to social justice and her zealous pursuit of educational reform left a lasting impact on the communities she served.
People
Zelia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zelia 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
Zelia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zelia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 536 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zelia 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 639,467 US residents.
Is Zelia a common name?
We classify Zelia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,143 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zelia most popular?
The single biggest year for Zelia was 2015, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zelia is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zelia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 976 people with the name Zelia, or 0.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,669 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 Zelia 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 Zelia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zelia appears almost entirely female. Of the 980 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Zelia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zelia is White at 64.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.1%) and Black (12.7%). 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 Zelia most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Zelia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.5% (630 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 Zelia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zelia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zelia 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 Zelia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zelia 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 Zelia 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 are named Zelia?
Find out how many Americans are named Zelia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.