Zetta
A feminine variation of the Italian name Zita, meaning "little girl".
Name Census estimates that about 511 living Americans carry the first name Zetta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zetta today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zetta births was 1925 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zetta. 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
511
~ 1 in 670,752 Americans
Peak year
1925
53 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,162
Tracked since 1880
Census
Zetta in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 687 people with the first name Zetta, which placed it at #16,426 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
#16,426
National first-name rank
People counted
687
687 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zetta
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zetta is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Zetta 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 Zetta at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.9% · 473
- Black or African American22.7% · 156
- Two or more races4.4% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
Popularity
Zetta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zetta from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 394 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
Zetta 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 Zetta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zettas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri recorded the most babies named Zetta, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zetta
The given name Zetta is believed to have originated from the Italian language, with its roots traced back to the early modern period, specifically around the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the Italian word "zetta," which means "the letter Z." This name was likely bestowed upon individuals as a symbolic reference to the letter itself or perhaps as a playful diminutive form of a longer Italian name beginning with the letter Z.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zetta can be found in historical records from the city of Venice, Italy, where it was used as a feminine name during the Renaissance era. It is possible that the name gained popularity among the affluent Venetian families of that time, who were known for their love of art, literature, and cultural pursuits.
While the name Zetta does not appear to have direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its Italian origins and association with the letter Z suggest a connection to the rich cultural heritage of the Italian Renaissance. During this period, the rediscovery of classical Greek and Roman literature and art influenced various aspects of society, including naming conventions.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zetta. One such person was Zetta Lucca (1871-1949), an Italian-American textile worker and labor activist from Massachusetts. She played a significant role in the "Bread and Roses" strike of 1912, advocating for better working conditions and fair wages for textile workers.
Another figure with the name Zetta was Zetta Elliott (born 1975), an American author, poet, and playwright. She is known for her works that explore themes of race, gender, and identity, particularly in children's literature. Her books aim to provide diverse representation and empower young readers.
In the world of music, Zetta Palmer (1921-2020) was an American jazz singer and actress who performed with notable artists such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie. She had a successful career spanning several decades and was recognized for her contribution to the jazz scene during the mid-20th century.
Zetta Fay (1891-1971) was an American actress and vaudeville performer who appeared in numerous stage productions, as well as early silent films. She was known for her comedic talents and ability to captivate audiences with her lively performances.
Lastly, Zetta Wilton (1879-1946) was a British stage actress and playwright who gained recognition for her roles in productions by the renowned playwright George Bernard Shaw. She was celebrated for her interpretation of strong female characters and her contribution to the development of modern theater in the early 20th century.
People
Zetta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zetta 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
Zetta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zetta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 511 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zetta 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 670,752 US residents.
Is Zetta a common name?
We classify Zetta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,053 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zetta most popular?
The single biggest year for Zetta was 1925, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zetta is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zetta in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 687 people with the name Zetta, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,426 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 Zetta 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 Zetta?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zetta appears almost entirely female. Of the 679 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Zetta?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zetta is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Zetta most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Zetta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (473 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 Zetta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zetta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zetta 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 Zetta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zetta 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 Zetta 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 share the name Zetta?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.