Name Awesome

Zen

#1,144 in 2025UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Meaning and linguistic origin unconfirmed

Zen has been given to 3,313 babies in the U.S. since 1969. In 2025 it ranked #1,144 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2022, with 256 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 82% boys, 18% girls all-time.

Babies named Zen, 2025

1 in 17,900

Zen over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
010020030018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Zen over time

In 2025, Zen went to 19% girls and 81% boys.

19692025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Zen: meaning, origin, and history

Meaning and linguistic origin unconfirmed

Deeper origin not confirmed in the cited records

What Zen means

Zen is a given name.

The naming story behind Zen

Wikidata records Zen as a male given name. The entity identifier is Q106687155, and the classification was checked on 2026-10-20. The spelling matches a source label or alias exactly, without removing accents or linking it to a name merely because the letters look similar.

A database classification is different from an etymological explanation, so those questions remain open in the short meaning.

A modern root explanation needs an additional naming or linguistic reference.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 2,718 boys were recorded with the name Zen between 1969 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 256 in 2022; its best national rank was #906 in 2022.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #1,199 in 2020 to #1,144 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #1,954 in 2015 to #1,144 in 2025.

In the United States, 595 girls were recorded with the name Zen between 1998 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 65 in 2022; its best national rank was #2,688 in 2022.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #3,280 in 2020 to #3,574 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #5,825 in 2015 to #3,574 in 2025.

Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution

Meaning, origin, and language notes draw on the references below.

American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling. Counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.

How common is Zen?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 17,900
185 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 9,230
0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#1,144
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
12,422 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Zen sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 5003%

Put another way: gather 12,422 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Zen. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Zens were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Zen was born before 2019 — so the typical Zen is around 6 today.

Median birth year
2019
About 6 years old
Biggest decade
2020s
45.9% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
92.6%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
2,718
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2020s — 45.9% of all recorded uses (1,247).

Is Zen rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
−188
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
+55
Places climbed
Rank vs 10 years ago
+810
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
2.47×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
72.3%
Peak was 2022 (256)
Years since peak
3
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Shifting
16.2% average annual change
Best rank ever
#906
2022

Where Zen is used — boys

Across 2016–2025, Zen was most concentrated in Hawaii — about 1 in 2,381 boys, against 1 in 10,898 across all states with data. It was least common in Tennessee (1 in 100,000).

142 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Hawaii1 in 2,381
  2. 2Georgia1 in 6,250
  3. 3Florida1 in 7,143
  4. 4New York1 in 7,692
  5. 5California1 in 8,333
  6. 6Maryland1 in 8,333
  7. 7New Jersey1 in 8,333
  8. 8North Carolina1 in 9,091

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Where Zen is used — girls

Across 1910–2025, Zen was most concentrated in California — about 1 in — girls, against 1 in 493,831 across all states with data. It was least common in Texas (1 in —).

00 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in —
  2. 2Florida1 in —
  3. 3Georgia1 in —
  4. 4Maryland1 in —
  5. 5North Carolina1 in —
  6. 6New York1 in —
  7. 7Texas1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Zen has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Zen around the world

Where Zen ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1996–2025
    #1,153
    in 2025
  • Scotland
    1995–1997
    #403
    in 1997
  • Ireland
    2023–2025
    #829
    in 2025
  • France
    2016–2025
    #4,750
    in 2025
  • Canada
    2004–2024
    #1,281
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    1980–2013
    #754
    in 2013

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Central Statistics Office, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS, NRS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CSO, CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Zen by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#1,144
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 55
Best rank ever
#906
2022
Peak year
2022
256 that year
First recorded
1969
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
2,718
Count in 2025
185

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#3,574
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 294
Best rank ever
#2,688
2022
Peak year
2022
65 that year
First recorded
1998
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
595
Count in 2025
43

Names similar to Zen

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

ZenoZenonHazenAizenMazenKaizenChozenZenithKyzenIzenZenasYazenRyzenRoczenHayzenJantzenZennJayzenEizenBrazenKayzenKazenAyzenYezen

Names with a curve like Zen

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Zen, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

JasielColesonAlessioSevenDamirAspenKaleoBryerGadielTrueKhaiShai

Sibling names for Zen

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Zen

Top names of 2022, Zen's peak yearThe 2020s in fullOther names that peaked in 2022Boys' names starting with Z