Zerlene
Of unknown origin, potentially a blend or variant form.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Zerlene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zerlene today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zerlene births was 1937 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zerlene. 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 Zerlene is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Zerlenes were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zerlene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1937
5 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1959 SSA rank
#7,200
Tracked since 1937
Popularity
Zerlene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zerlene from the 1930s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1930s peak, Zerlene remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zerlene 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 Zerlene 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 Zerlene
The name Zerlene is a relatively modern given name that appears to have originated in the United States in the early 20th century. It is likely a variant or combination of the names Zer and Lene, which themselves are thought to be derived from the Germanic root words meaning "warrior" and "lion," respectively.
While the exact origins of the name Zerlene are unclear, it is believed to have first gained popularity in the Southern states of the US, particularly in African American communities. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1920 census records, where a woman named Zerlene Smith was listed as residing in Mississippi.
Throughout the 20th century, the name Zerlene was most commonly used within the African American community, with notable individuals bearing the name including Zerlene Wardell (1920-1988), an American jazz singer and actress who performed with the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Another prominent Zerlene was Zerlene Cheetham (1921-2005), a civil rights activist and educator who worked tirelessly to promote racial integration and equality in the public school system in Mississippi.
Outside of the United States, the name Zerlene has been relatively uncommon, though there are a few examples of its use. Zerlene Muller (1923-2008) was a South African author and activist who wrote extensively about the struggles of the anti-apartheid movement. In the Caribbean nation of Jamaica, Zerlene Anderson (born 1954) is a notable educator and author who has published several works on Jamaican culture and history.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Zerlene was Zerlene Maxwell (1904-1989), an American blues singer and musician who was active in the 1920s and 1930s. She was a contemporary of other legendary blues artists such as Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, and her recordings are considered important artifacts of the early blues genre.
While the name Zerlene may have originated as a combination of other names or words, it has developed its own distinct identity and meaning over the past century. The individuals who have borne this name have contributed to various fields, including music, literature, education, and civil rights activism, leaving a lasting impact on their respective communities and societies.
People
Zerlene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zerlene 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
Zerlene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zerlene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zerlene 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Zerlene a common name?
We classify Zerlene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zerlene most popular?
The single biggest year for Zerlene was 1937, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zerlene is about 80 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 Zerlene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zerlene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zerlene 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 Zerlene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zerlene 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 Zerlene 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 Zerlene as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Zerlene, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.