Total births
16,734
Girls' name · since 1880
Zelda
Zelda has 16,734 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2020 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #747
- among girls today
- 16,734
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Zelda is the #747 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 16,734 recorded since 1880.
Zelda has 16,734 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #747 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #747 among girls today
- 16,734 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Zelda is currently the #747 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 16,734 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #747
- among girls today
- 16,734
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Zelda vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#747
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Zelda was born in this single decade.
2020
Single peak year
526 babies were named Zelda in 2020 - its busiest year on record.
How Zelda compares
16,734 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Zelda's all-time total is 44x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Zelda | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 16,734 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 526 | 48 | 19,840 |
Zelda's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Zelda's SSA record in two at 1954 and the more recent half accounts for 51% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 49%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1887, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2020 peak of 526, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Zelda at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2020
Current rank
#747
Active since
1880
Zelda popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2020)
- 526
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Zelda popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1932 (Zelda as boys' name)
Zelda by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Zelda's strongest decade.
2,889 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Zelda births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 62
1880s
62 births
- 1890s 254
1890s
254 births
- 1900s 595
1900s
595 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,854 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,376 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,650 births
- 1940s 1,074
1940s
1,074 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,160 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,265 births
- 1970s 305
1970s
305 births
- 1980s 154
1980s
154 births
- 1990s 144
1990s
144 births
- 2000s 391
2000s
391 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,889 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,561 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 2,889 births (17% of all-time use).
How Zelda compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Zelda's total volume
Zelda vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Zelda by state
Where Zelda concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,673 | 10.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,171 | 7.0% |
| #3 | California | | 1,016 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 845 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 553 | 3.3% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 427 | 2.6% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 418 | 2.5% |
| #8 | Florida | | 368 | 2.2% |
New York share of Zelda's total US births 10.0%
Even split
1,673 of 16,734 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 42 reporting states.
Zelda appears in 42 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Zelda? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 16,734 babies named Zelda. Today it holds rank #747 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2020, with 526 births.
When was Zelda most popular? ▼
Zelda was most popular in the 2010s decade with 2,889 total births. The single peak year was 2020.
Where is Zelda most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Zelda are New York (1,673 births), Texas (1,171 births), California (1,016 births).
How long has the name Zelda been used? ▼
Records for Zelda go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Zelda? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Zelma, Zella, Zelie, Zelia, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Zelda's data
- Zelda's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (2,889 total births) through the 2020s (2,561) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Zeldas (1,673 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Zelda
Nearby Names Like Zelda
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zelda
Zelma Girl
#6643 16,824 births
Zella Girl
#1840 13,369 births
Zelie Girl
#1822 1,264 births
Zelia Girl
#5447 1,177 births
Zelpha Girl
956 births
Compare Zelda side by side: Zelda vs Zelma Zelda vs Zella Zelda vs Zelie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Zelda
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Zelda: #747 Girls' Name - 16,734 Births, Peak 2020." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/zelda. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Zelda draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.