Zola
A feminine given name of African origins, meaning "to cultivate kindness and compassion".
Name Census estimates that about 4,092 living Americans carry the first name Zola. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zola today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zola births was 2018 (282 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zola. 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 Zola with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.1K
~ 1 in 83,762 Americans
Peak year
2018
282 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2018 SSA rank
#1,106
Tracked since 1880
Census
Zola in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,212 people with the first name Zola, which placed it at #5,366 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,366
National first-name rank
People counted
3.2K
3,212 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
47.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zola
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zola is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (8.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Zola described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Zola at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.7% · 1,531
- Black or African American33.0% · 1,061
- Two or more races8.3% · 266
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 264
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 41
Gender
Gender distribution for Zola
Out of the 9,143 babies given the name Zola since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Zola as a male name
- Ranked #14,099 in 2018
- 5 male births in 2018
- Peak: 1916 (6 births)
Zola as a female name
- Ranked #1,106 in 2024
- 221 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (277 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zola leans strongly female. 3,140 people counted with this name were female (97.6%), compared with 76 male bearers (2.4%).
Popularity
Zola: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zola from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,529 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
Zola 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 Zola during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zolas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 37 states and territories. Kentucky, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Zola, while Connecticut, Massachusetts, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 116 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zola
The name Zola has its origins in the Nguni languages of Southern Africa, particularly in the Xhosa and Zulu languages. It is believed to have emerged during the 18th or 19th century, although its precise origins are uncertain. The name is derived from the Nguni word "zola," which means "to calm" or "to pacify."
In Xhosa culture, the name Zola was traditionally given to children with the hope that they would grow up to be calm, peaceful, and diplomatic individuals. It was a name often bestowed upon those who were expected to play a role in resolving conflicts or maintaining harmony within their communities.
While the name Zola does not have a direct connection to any ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been documented in various historical records and accounts related to the Xhosa and Zulu peoples. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the writings of European missionaries and explorers who encountered these communities during the 19th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zola. One of the most famous was Zola Budd, a South African athlete who gained international recognition for her performances in long-distance running events during the 1980s. Born in 1966, Zola Budd competed in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games and held several world records in her prime.
Another notable figure was Zola Neale Hurston, an influential African American novelist, anthropologist, and folklorist. Born in 1891, Hurston is best known for her literary works, including the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," which celebrated the rich cultural heritage and experiences of African Americans in the early 20th century.
In the realm of music, Zola Taylor is a prominent American singer and songwriter known for her work with the neo-soul band The Foreign Exchange. Born in 1977, Taylor has gained critical acclaim for her soulful vocals and contributions to the contemporary R&B and soul music scene.
In South Africa, Zola Nqini was a renowned anti-apartheid activist and trade unionist. Born in 1928, Nqini played a pivotal role in the struggle against racial segregation and advocated for workers' rights throughout his life.
Lastly, Zola Maseko was a South African filmmaker and writer who gained recognition for his works exploring the complexities of life under apartheid. Born in 1956, Maseko's films, such as "The Life and Times of Sara Baartman" and "The Forerunners," shed light on the experiences of marginalized communities and their resistance against oppression.
People
Zola + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zola 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
Zola: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zola?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,092 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zola 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 83,762 US residents.
Is Zola a common name?
We classify Zola as "Rare". It ranks above 96.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,143 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zola most popular?
The single biggest year for Zola was 2018, when 282 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zola is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zola in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,212 people with the name Zola, or 1.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,366 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Zola in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Zola?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zola leans strongly female. 3,140 people counted with this name were female (97.6%), compared with 76 male bearers (2.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Zola?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zola is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (8.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Zola most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Zola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.7% (1,531 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Zola in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zola a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Zola 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 Zola still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zola 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 Zola 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.
How many people are called Zola?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.