Zelna
Derived from the Czech word "zelný" meaning "made of cabbage or greens".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Zelna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zelna today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zelna births was 1922 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zelna. 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
- • The typical person named Zelna is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Zelnas were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zelna. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1922
11 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1929 SSA rank
#5,274
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Zelna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zelna from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 28 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
Zelna 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 Zelna 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 Zelna
The given name Zelna has its origins in the ancient Assyrian language, which was spoken in Mesopotamia during the Neo-Assyrian Empire, dating back to around 911 BC to 609 BC. The name is believed to be derived from the Assyrian word "zelnu," which means "precious" or "valuable."
In ancient Assyrian texts and inscriptions, the name Zelna was primarily associated with women of noble birth or those who held a significant position in society. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a cuneiform tablet from the reign of King Ashurbanipal (668 BC–627 BC), where a woman named Zelna is mentioned as a high priestess of the goddess Ishtar.
The name Zelna gained further prominence during the Neo-Babylonian period (626 BC–539 BC), when it was adopted by members of the royal family. A notable figure bearing this name was Zelna, the daughter of King Nabonidus, who ruled Babylon from 556 BC to 539 BC. Historical records suggest that Princess Zelna played a significant role in religious ceremonies and held a respected position within the court.
In the centuries that followed, the name Zelna appeared sporadically in various ancient texts and manuscripts. One notable mention is found in the writings of the Greek historian Ctesias (c. 401 BC), who recorded an account of a Persian queen named Zelna during the Achaemenid Empire (550 BC–330 BC).
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Zelna. One of the earliest examples is Zelna of Palmyra (c. 150 AD–230 AD), a influential merchant and philanthropist from the ancient city of Palmyra, located in present-day Syria. Her legacy is preserved in inscriptions and monuments that bear her name.
Another prominent Zelna was a Byzantine noblewoman who lived in the 6th century AD. She was the wife of the general Belisarius and played a significant role in the military campaigns of the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Emperor Justinian I.
In the 10th century, there was a renowned scholar and poet named Zelna al-Andalusi, who hailed from the Iberian Peninsula during the Golden Age of Islamic culture. Her works were widely celebrated and influential in the literary circles of the time.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure named Zelna Borgia (1499–1519) emerged from the infamous Borgia family in Italy. She was known for her intelligence and political savvy, serving as an advisor to her brother, Cesare Borgia.
The name Zelna also appears in the historical records of the Ottoman Empire, where a woman named Zelna Hatun (c. 1550–1620) gained prominence as a skilled calligrapher and poet, contributing to the cultural and artistic legacy of the Ottoman court.
People
Zelna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zelna 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
Zelna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zelna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zelna 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Zelna a common name?
We classify Zelna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 45 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zelna most popular?
The single biggest year for Zelna was 1922, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zelna is about 66 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 Zelna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zelna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zelna 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 Zelna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zelna 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 Zelna 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 have Zelna as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.