Zyana
A feminine Arabic name meaning "beauty" or "brightness".
Name Census estimates that about 995 living Americans carry the first name Zyana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zyana today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zyana births was 2014 (106 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zyana. 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 Zyana with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
995
~ 1 in 344,477 Americans
Peak year
2014
106 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,163
Tracked since 1999
Census
Zyana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 609 people with the first name Zyana, which placed it at #17,887 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
#17,887
National first-name rank
People counted
609
609 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
50.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zyana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zyana is Black at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.4%) and Two or More Races (9.2%). 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 Zyana 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 Zyana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.7% · 309
- Hispanic or Latino26.4% · 161
- Two or more races9.2% · 56
- White6.6% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 6
Popularity
Zyana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zyana from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 634 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zyana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zyana 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 Zyana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zyanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Zyana, while New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zyana
The name Zyana is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots tracing back to the Middle East region during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Arabic word "zain," which means "beauty" or "adornment," suggesting that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals who were perceived as exceptionally beautiful or graceful.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zyana can be found in the 12th century poetry of the renowned Persian scholar and poet, Rumi. In his works, Rumi made references to a woman named Zyana, though little is known about her actual existence or identity. This literary mention, however, serves as one of the earliest documented cases of the name's usage.
During the 13th century, historical records indicate the presence of a notable figure named Zyana al-Baghdadi, a celebrated calligrapher and artist from Baghdad. Her intricate calligraphic works adorned numerous mosques and palaces throughout the region, earning her widespread recognition and admiration.
In the 16th century, a woman named Zyana bint Al-Husayn, born in 1510, gained prominence as a skilled poet and scholar in the Ottoman Empire. Her poetic contributions were widely celebrated, and her works were often recited in literary circles across the empire.
Another notable figure bearing the name Zyana was Zyana Al-Khayyat, a renowned seamstress and textile designer who lived in Damascus during the 18th century. Her exceptional craftsmanship and innovative designs earned her commissions from the elite and nobility of the time, and her legacy continued to inspire generations of textile artists.
Moving into the 19th century, a woman named Zyana Al-Qudsi, born in 1842 in Jerusalem, made significant contributions to education and social reform. She established several schools for girls in the region, championing the cause of female education and empowerment during a time when such efforts were rare and met with resistance.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Zyana throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields, from arts and literature to education and social reform. The name's enduring presence across different eras and cultures highlights its timeless beauty and the diverse array of remarkable individuals who have borne it.
People
Zyana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zyana 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
Zyana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zyana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 995 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zyana 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 344,477 US residents.
Is Zyana a common name?
We classify Zyana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,003 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zyana most popular?
The single biggest year for Zyana was 2014, when 106 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zyana is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zyana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 609 people with the name Zyana, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,887 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 Zyana 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 Zyana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zyana appears almost entirely female. Of the 609 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Zyana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zyana is Black at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.4%) and Two or More Races (9.2%). 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 Zyana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Zyana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.7% (309 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 Zyana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zyana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zyana 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 Zyana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zyana 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 Zyana 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 share the name Zyana?
Want to know how many Americans are named Zyana? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.