Zeya
Of Arabic origin, meaning "increase, augmentation, or splendor".
Name Census estimates that about 183 living Americans carry the first name Zeya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zeya today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zeya births was 2021 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zeya. 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 Zeya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
183
~ 1 in 1,872,975 Americans
Peak year
2021
25 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,609
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Zeya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zeya from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 97 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
Zeya 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 Zeya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zeyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Zeya
The name Zeya is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the second millennium BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "jaya," which means "victory" or "triumph." The earliest recorded instances of the name Zeya can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures.
One of the earliest known references to the name Zeya can be found in the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, which is estimated to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE. In the Mahabharata, Zeya is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought in the great battle of Kurukshetra.
Another notable historical figure with the name Zeya was a king who ruled over the Yadava dynasty in the Deccan region of India during the 12th century CE. King Zeya was known for his military conquests and for expanding the Yadava kingdom to its greatest extent.
In the 16th century, there was a famous Sufi mystic and poet named Zeya al-Din Nakhshabi, who lived in present-day Uzbekistan. His poetic works and teachings on spirituality and mysticism were highly influential in the region.
During the 18th century, Zeya Singh was a prominent ruler of the Sikh Empire in the Punjab region of India. He was known for his military prowess and for his efforts in establishing Sikh rule over a large part of the Indian subcontinent.
Another historical figure with the name Zeya was Zeya Chaube, a freedom fighter who played a significant role in India's struggle for independence from British colonial rule in the early 20th century. He was a prominent member of the Indian National Congress and was actively involved in the non-violent resistance movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
People
Zeya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zeya 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
Zeya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zeya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 183 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zeya 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 1,872,975 US residents.
Is Zeya a common name?
We classify Zeya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 184 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zeya most popular?
The single biggest year for Zeya was 2021, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zeya is about 8 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 Zeya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zeya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zeya 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 Zeya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zeya 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 Zeya 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 common is the name Zeya?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Zeya at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.