Zyra
An invented name perhaps deriving from the word 'zephyr' meaning a light breeze.
Name Census estimates that about 1,058 living Americans carry the first name Zyra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zyra today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zyra births was 2024 (112 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zyra. 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 Zyra with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Zyra is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 9 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 323,964 Americans
Peak year
2024
112 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,797
Tracked since 1998
Census
Zyra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 650 people with the first name Zyra, which placed it at #17,115 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
#17,115
National first-name rank
People counted
650
650 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
27.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zyra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zyra is Black at 27.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (20.2%). 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 Zyra 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 Zyra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American27.2% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino23.7% · 154
- Asian and Pacific Islander20.2% · 131
- White18.9% · 123
- Two or more races8.6% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 9
Popularity
Zyra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zyra 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 472 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
Zyra 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 Zyra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zyras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Zyra, while New Jersey, North Carolina, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 45 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zyra
The name Zyra is believed to have its origins in the ancient Persian language, where it was derived from the word "Zyra," meaning "gold" or "golden." This name likely emerged during the Achaemenid Empire, which ruled over parts of the Middle East and Central Asia from the 6th to 4th centuries BCE.
In ancient Persian mythology, Zyra was associated with the god Mithra, who was revered as the deity of light, truth, and justice. The name's connection to gold and the sun's radiance made it a popular choice for newborns, symbolizing the desire for a prosperous and illuminated life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zyra can be found in the "Shahnameh," the epic Persian poem composed by Ferdowsi in the late 10th century CE. In this work, Zyra is mentioned as the name of a minor character, indicating its usage in ancient Persia.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zyra. One of the most prominent was Zyra al-Andalusi, a renowned Arab mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 10th century CE in Cordoba, Spain. Her contributions to the field of spherical geometry and the development of astronomical instruments were highly influential during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another noteworthy figure was Zyra Banu Begum, a princess of the Mughal Empire who lived in the 16th century CE. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her role in commissioning the construction of several architectural marvels, including the iconic Tomb of Akbar the Great in Agra, India.
In the realm of literature, Zyra Ghereghlou was a celebrated Iranian poet and writer of the 20th century, renowned for her powerful and evocative works that explored themes of love, spirituality, and social commentary. Her poetry collections, such as "The Garden of Mysteries," have been widely acclaimed and translated into multiple languages.
The name Zyra has also been associated with notable figures in the performing arts. Zyra Nerina was a renowned Italian prima ballerina of the 19th century, acclaimed for her grace and technical mastery on stage. She was a principal dancer at the prestigious La Scala opera house in Milan and toured extensively throughout Europe, captivating audiences with her interpretations of classic ballets.
Moreover, Zyra Westwood was a British fashion designer who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s for her avant-garde and unconventional designs. Her bold and rebellious style influenced the punk and new wave movements, and she is celebrated as a trailblazer in the fashion industry.
People
Zyra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zyra 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
Zyra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zyra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,058 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zyra 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 323,964 US residents.
Is Zyra a common name?
We classify Zyra as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,066 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zyra most popular?
The single biggest year for Zyra was 2024, when 112 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zyra is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zyra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 650 people with the name Zyra, or 0.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,115 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 Zyra 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 Zyra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zyra appears almost entirely female. Of the 643 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 Zyra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zyra is Black at 27.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (20.2%). 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 Zyra most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Zyra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 27.2% (177 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 Zyra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zyra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zyra 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 Zyra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zyra 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 Zyra 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 Zyra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.