Zitlaly
A feminine Mexican name derived from Nahuatl meaning "star brilliance".
Name Census estimates that about 555 living Americans carry the first name Zitlaly. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zitlaly today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zitlaly births was 2004 (51 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zitlaly. 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
555
~ 1 in 617,575 Americans
Peak year
2004
51 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,570
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Zitlaly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zitlaly 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 379 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
Zitlaly 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 Zitlaly during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zitlalys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Zitlaly, while Illinois, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 68 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zitlaly
Zitlaly is a given name of Nahuatl origin, the language spoken by the Aztecs and other indigenous groups in Mexico and Central America. The name is believed to have originated in the pre-Columbian era, prior to the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.
The name Zitlaly is derived from the Nahuatl words "Zitlali" meaning "star" and "tzitzilli" meaning "precious stone" or "gem." The combination of these words suggests a meaning of "precious star" or "star-like gem." This reflects the significance of celestial bodies and precious materials in Aztec culture and cosmology.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient Aztec codices or historical accounts, its linguistic roots suggest it was likely used as a personal name among the Nahuatl-speaking populations of Mesoamerica before the Spanish conquest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zitlaly can be found in the 17th century, when a woman named Zitlaly María de la Cruz was born in Mexico City in 1638. She was a renowned poet and writer of the colonial era, known for her contributions to the literary tradition of the Spanish Golden Age.
Another notable figure with the name Zitlaly was Zitlaly Frías (1908-1989), a Mexican artist and painter renowned for her vibrant depictions of indigenous life and culture. Her works often featured traditional Nahuatl motifs and symbolism, reflecting her appreciation for her ancestral roots.
In the realm of music, Zitlaly Mijangos (1949-2022) was a celebrated Mexican singer and songwriter. She was known for her powerful voice and her contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Mexican folk music.
Zitlaly Vallejo (born 1979) is a contemporary Mexican writer and journalist who has received critical acclaim for her novels and short stories exploring themes of identity, feminism, and sociopolitical issues in modern Mexico.
Zitlaly Chávez (born 1985) is a Mexican-American activist and community organizer who has been at the forefront of immigrant rights movements in the United States, advocating for the rights and dignity of undocumented individuals and families.
People
Zitlaly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zitlaly 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
Zitlaly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zitlaly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 555 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zitlaly 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 617,575 US residents.
Is Zitlaly a common name?
We classify Zitlaly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 564 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zitlaly most popular?
The single biggest year for Zitlaly was 2004, when 51 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zitlaly is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zitlaly a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zitlaly 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.
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.