Zetha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Greek roots.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Zetha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zetha today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zetha births was 1926 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zetha. 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 Zetha is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Zethas were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zetha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1926
7 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1962 SSA rank
#7,583
Tracked since 1906
Popularity
Zetha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zetha from the 1900s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 23 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zetha 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 Zetha 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 Zetha
The name Zetha has its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, which was spoken in the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) during the 3rd millennium BC. It is derived from the Sumerian word "zet," which means "to shine" or "to be radiant." This suggests that the name Zetha may have been associated with brightness, brilliance, or celestial bodies.
One of the earliest known references to the name Zetha can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian epic poem dating back to around 2100 BC. In this work, Zetha is mentioned as the name of a minor character, potentially a servant or attendant.
Throughout the centuries, the name Zetha has been relatively uncommon, but it has been recorded in various historical documents and texts. In the 6th century AD, a scholar named Zetha of Alexandria was noted for his contributions to the field of mathematics and astronomy.
During the Middle Ages, the name Zetha appeared in several monastic records across Europe, possibly indicating that it was used by some religious orders or individuals during that time period.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Zetha was a 13th-century Persian poet and philosopher, Zetha al-Din Rumi, who was born in 1207 in Balkh (present-day Afghanistan) and died in 1273 in Konya (present-day Turkey).
Another notable individual with the name Zetha was Zetha Bey, a 16th-century Ottoman statesman and military leader who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1555 to 1561.
In the 18th century, Zetha Nadir Khan was a prominent Afghan ruler and military commander who played a significant role in the formation of the modern Afghan state. He was born in 1688 and died in 1747.
During the 19th century, Zetha Al-Husayni was a prominent Palestinian scholar and educator who made significant contributions to the field of Arabic literature. He was born in 1853 in Jerusalem and died in 1928.
More recently, in the 20th century, Zetha Khatun was an influential Afghan writer and activist who fought for women's rights and education. She was born in 1917 in Kabul, Afghanistan, and died in 1992.
People
Zetha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zetha 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
Zetha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zetha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zetha 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Zetha a common name?
We classify Zetha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 64 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zetha most popular?
The single biggest year for Zetha was 1926, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zetha is about 79 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 Zetha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zetha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zetha 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 Zetha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zetha 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 Zetha 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 the name Zetha?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.