Zmya
A feminine name of Russian origin representing the word "snake".
Name Census estimates that about 63 living Americans carry the first name Zmya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zmya today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zmya births was 2013 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zmya. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zmya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
63
~ 1 in 5,440,545 Americans
Peak year
2013
10 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2020 SSA rank
#15,062
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Zmya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zmya from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 36 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
Zmya 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 Zmya 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 Zmya
The name Zmya is believed to have originated from the Slavic languages, specifically Russian and Ukrainian. Its roots can be traced back to the Proto-Slavic word "zъmьja," which means "snake" or "serpent." This connection to reptiles and the natural world suggests that the name may have been associated with ancient pagan beliefs or nature worship in the region.
In early Slavic folklore and mythology, snakes were often seen as symbols of rebirth, transformation, and wisdom. Some scholars speculate that the name Zmya could have been given to children as a way to invoke these symbolic meanings and bestow blessings upon them.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Zmya date back to the 10th and 11th centuries, during the Kievan Rus' period in Eastern Europe. Historical records from this era, such as chronicles and manuscripts, have documented individuals bearing this name, although specific details about their lives and societal roles are scarce.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Zmya was a noblewoman mentioned in the Laurentian Codex, a medieval Russian chronicle compiled in the 14th century. She was recorded as a member of the princely court in the city of Novgorod during the late 11th century.
Another historical figure bearing the name Zmya was a warrior who fought alongside Prince Svyatoslav I of Kiev in the 960s. He is mentioned in the Primary Chronicle, an important source of early Rus' history, for his bravery and loyalty during the prince's military campaigns against the Khazars and Bulgars.
In the 13th century, a woman named Zmya is documented as having been a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Pskov, which was part of the Novgorod Republic at the time. Her wealth and influence are evident from the fact that she donated a significant portion of her estate to the local monastery.
During the 16th century, a Cossack leader named Zmya Bryukhovetsky played a notable role in the uprisings against Polish rule in modern-day Ukraine. He is remembered for his tactical skills and leadership in several battles against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The name Zmya also appears in the annals of Russian Orthodoxy, with a nun bearing this name living in the Solovetsky Monastery in the late 15th century. She is said to have been renowned for her piety and dedication to spiritual pursuits.
People
Zmya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zmya 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
Zmya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zmya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 63 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zmya 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 5,440,545 US residents.
Is Zmya a common name?
We classify Zmya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 64 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zmya most popular?
The single biggest year for Zmya was 2013, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zmya is about 16 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 Zmya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zmya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zmya 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 Zmya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zmya 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 Zmya 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 have the name Zmya?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Zmya, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.