Zeyna
An Arabic feminine name meaning "beauty" or "splendor".
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the first name Zeyna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zeyna today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zeyna births was 2024 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zeyna. 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 Zeyna with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
127
~ 1 in 2,698,853 Americans
Peak year
2024
18 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,610
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Zeyna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zeyna from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 60 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
Zeyna 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 Zeyna 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 Zeyna
The name Zeyna has its roots in the Arabic language and culture. It is a variation of the name Zainab, which derives from the Arabic word "zain," meaning "adornment" or "beauty." The name is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the early Islamic era.
One of the most notable historical references to the name Zeyna is in connection with Zainab bint Ali, the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Zainab bint Ali lived from 628 to 682 CE and is highly revered in Islam as a symbol of courage and resilience.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Zeyna can be found in Arabic literature and historical records from the 7th century CE onwards. Some notable individuals who bore the name Zeyna throughout history include Zeyna al-Nafzawiyah (1223-1288), a celebrated Sufi poet and teacher from Tunisia, and Zeyna Khayr al-Din (1901-1976), a renowned Egyptian feminist and activist.
Another famous Zeyna was Zeyna Ghanem (1916-2008), a Syrian writer and activist who played a significant role in the Arab nationalist movement. Zeyna Ghanem was born in Damascus and was known for her contributions to literature and her advocacy for women's rights.
In the 13th century, there was a notable figure named Zeyna al-Diniyya, who was a prominent scholar and writer from Aleppo, Syria. She was renowned for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and authored several works on the subject.
Zeyna Bint al-Awwam (1265-1339) was a prominent Muslim scholar and poet from Andalusia (modern-day Spain). She was highly respected for her knowledge of Islamic sciences and her contributions to the literary and intellectual life of her time.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the name Zeyna throughout history, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and significance.
People
Zeyna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zeyna 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
Zeyna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zeyna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 127 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zeyna 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 2,698,853 US residents.
Is Zeyna a common name?
We classify Zeyna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 128 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zeyna most popular?
The single biggest year for Zeyna was 2024, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zeyna 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 Zeyna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zeyna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zeyna 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 Zeyna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zeyna 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 Zeyna 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 are named Zeyna?
Find out how many Americans are named Zeyna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.