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Zia

#1,477 in 2025UnisexGirls' nameBoys' name

Light

Zia has been given to 3,550 babies in the U.S. since 1976. In 2025 it ranked #1,477 of 17,293 girls’ names in use. Its peak year was 2024, with 200 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 91% girls, 9% boys all-time.

Babies named Zia, 2025

1 in 22,700

Zia over time, 1880–2025

GirlsBoys
05010015020018801900192019401960198020002020

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 Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.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 — Zia over time

In 2025, Zia went to 93% girls and 7% boys.

19762025

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.

Zia: meaning, origin, and history

Light

Arabic

What Zia means

Zia means “light”, associated with ḍiyāʔ.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

(Arabic name): Borrowed from Arabic ضِيَاء (ḍiyāʔ, “light”) via Spanish.

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Zia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Zia is used in English. Its origins include Arabic.

Zia comes through Arabic ضِيَاء.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 3,228 girls were recorded with the name Zia between 1976 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 200 in 2024; its best national rank was #1,192 in 2024.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #1,360 in 2020 to #1,477 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #1,653 in 2015 to #1,477 in 2025.

In the United States, 322 boys were recorded with the name Zia between 1985 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 22 in 2022; its best national rank was #4,696 in 2022.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #8,056 in 2020 to #7,669 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #6,317 in 2015 to #7,669 in 2025.

How common is Zia?

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

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 22,700
146 of 3,315,165 births
Among girls only
1 in 11,000
<0.01% of girls
Rank, 2025
#1,477
of 17,293 girls’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
15,740 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Zia sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Olivia (13,544)

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 5002%

Put another way: gather 15,740 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Zia. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Zias were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Zia was born before 2016 — so the typical Zia is around 9 today.

Median birth year
2016
About 9 years old
Biggest decade
2010s
40.4% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
90.5%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
3,228
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2010s — 40.4% of all recorded uses (1,303).

Is Zia 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
−285
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
−117
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
+176
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
1.12×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
73.0%
Peak was 2024 (200)
Years since peak
1
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Shifting
19.4% average annual change
Best rank ever
#1,192
2024

Where Zia is used — girls

Across 2016–2025, Zia was most concentrated in New Mexico — about 1 in 427 girls, against 1 in 9,613 across all states with data. It was least common in Pennsylvania (1 in 50,000).

2234 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1New Mexico1 in 427
  2. 2District of Columbia1 in 5,556
  3. 3Washington1 in 5,882
  4. 4California1 in 6,667
  5. 5Colorado1 in 7,692
  6. 6Georgia1 in 8,333
  7. 7Texas1 in 9,091
  8. 8Florida1 in 10,000

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.

Where Zia is used — boys

Across 1910–2025, Zia was most concentrated in California — about 1 in — boys, against 1 in 1,089,544 across all states with data.

00 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in —

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. Zia has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Zia around the world

Where Zia 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
    1997–2025
    #1,110
    in 2025
  • Scotland
    2009–2024
    #638
    in 2024
  • Ireland
    2021–2025
    #885
    in 2025
  • France
    1997–2025
    #1,499
    in 2025
  • Canada
    2001–2024
    #560
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    1973–2013
    #818
    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.

Notable people named Zia

People whose public names include Zia, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Zia by the numbers

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

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#1,477
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 117
Best rank ever
#1,192
2024
Peak year
2024
200 that year
First recorded
1976
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
3,228
Count in 2025
146

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#7,669
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 387
Best rank ever
#4,696
2022
Peak year
2022
22 that year
First recorded
1985
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
322
Count in 2025
11

Names similar to Zia

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

ZiahAziaKeziaZianaZiaraZiannaItziaNaziaKaziaZianJadziaShaziaZianiKitziaLetiziaLuziaDaziaVeneziaTaziaZiareMarziaKriziaZiasiaAnastazia

Names with a curve like Zia

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

SymphonyNaylaZarahImogenAmiliaAnayahCooperSafaAleynaHafsaJubileeAmeera

Sibling names for Zia

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 Zia

Top names of 2024, Zia's peak yearThe 2020s in fullOther names that peaked in 2024Girls' names starting with Z