Zierra
A feminine name of American origin meaning "bright" or "radiant".
Name Census estimates that about 141 living Americans carry the first name Zierra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zierra today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zierra births was 2007 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zierra. 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
141
~ 1 in 2,430,882 Americans
Peak year
2007
17 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2020 SSA rank
#17,491
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Zierra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zierra from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 75 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zierra 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 Zierra 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 Zierra
The name Zierra has its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages that emerged in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500 BC. The name is believed to be derived from the Sumerian word "zi-er-ra," which roughly translates to "radiant one" or "shining light."
In Sumerian mythology, the name was often associated with deities and celestial beings. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian poem dating back to around 2100 BC. The epic mentions a character named Zierra, who was said to be a priestess of the moon goddess Nanna.
During the height of the Babylonian Empire (circa 1800 BC - 539 BC), the name Zierra gained popularity among the ruling classes and was often bestowed upon daughters of noble families. One notable figure from this period was Zierra of Babylon, a renowned scholar and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial bodies and the development of the Babylonian calendar.
In ancient Egyptian texts, the name Zierra appears in various forms, including "Zier-ra" and "Zier-aat." These names were often associated with the goddess Isis, the powerful deity of fertility, magic, and healing. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in Egyptian records was Zierra-ankh, a high priestess who lived during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II (circa 1279 BC - 1213 BC).
As civilizations and cultures intermingled throughout history, the name Zierra spread to other parts of the world. In ancient Greece, the name was adopted as "Zeiria" and was often given to women born under the astrological sign of Leo, which was associated with the sun and radiance.
During the Middle Ages, the name Zierra was relatively uncommon in Europe but gained some prominence in the Mediterranean region. One notable figure was Zierra of Palermo, a 12th-century Sicilian poet and writer who was renowned for her lyrical works celebrating love and nature.
In the 16th century, the name resurfaced in various parts of Europe, particularly in Spain and Portugal, where it was adapted as "Zierra" or "Sierra." One notable bearer of the name from this period was Zierra de Castilla, a Spanish noblewoman and patron of the arts who lived in the court of King Philip II during the late 16th century.
People
Zierra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zierra 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
Zierra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zierra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 141 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zierra 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 2,430,882 US residents.
Is Zierra a common name?
We classify Zierra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 144 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zierra most popular?
The single biggest year for Zierra was 2007, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zierra is about 22 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 Zierra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zierra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zierra 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 Zierra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zierra 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 Zierra 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 Zierra?
Find out how many people share the name Zierra on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.