Zona
The feminine name of Italian origin signifying "zone" or "region".
Name Census estimates that about 1,134 living Americans carry the first name Zona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zona today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zona births was 1916 (107 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zona. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 302,253 Americans
Peak year
1916
107 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,065
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Zona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zona from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 841 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zona 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 Zona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zonas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Zona, while Nebraska, Michigan, Utah recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zona
The name Zona is derived from the Spanish word "zona", which means "zone" or "area". It is believed to have originated in Spain during the late Middle Ages or the Renaissance period, possibly as a nickname or descriptive term for someone living in a particular region or area.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Zona can be found in Spanish historical records from the 16th century. It was sometimes given as a feminine name, although its usage was relatively rare compared to more traditional Spanish names at the time.
In later centuries, the name Zona gained some popularity among Spanish-speaking communities, particularly in Latin America. One notable historical figure with this name was Zona Gale (1874-1938), an American novelist and playwright who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921 for her play "Miss Lulu Bett".
Another notable bearer of the name was Zona Heaster Shoemaker (1870-1897), an American woman whose death led to the infamous "Greenbrier Ghost" case in West Virginia. Her ghost was said to have appeared and revealed that she had been murdered by her husband, leading to his eventual conviction.
In the 20th century, Zona Gale, an American author and playwright (1874-1938), became one of the most famous individuals with this name. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921 for her play "Miss Lulu Bett".
Another historical figure named Zona was Zona Gale Breeden (1892-1976), an American teacher and author who wrote several books on education and child development.
While not a widespread name, Zona has been used sporadically throughout history, particularly in Spanish-speaking regions and communities with connections to Spanish culture and language.
People
Zona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zona 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
Zona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,134 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zona 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 302,253 US residents.
Is Zona a common name?
We classify Zona as "Rare". It ranks above 90.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,562 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zona most popular?
The single biggest year for Zona was 1916, when 107 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zona is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zona 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.