Girls' name · since 1880
Zena
5,986 babies named Zena in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1964. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2,287 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,440 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,986
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Zena currently ranks #2440 among girls' names in America, with 5,986 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zena has been recorded 5,986 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #2440 nationally and more common than 86% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2,287 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,440 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 5,986 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zena ranks #2,287 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,440 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 5,986 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #2,287 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,440 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,986
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Zena's 5,986 recorded births place it above 96.83% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
25 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Zena compares
5,986 Top 13% higher than 87% of 17,297 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
Zena's all-time total is 16x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Zena | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,986 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 222 | 21 | 19,840 |
Zena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Zena splits its recorded history at 1953: 72% of all births land in the more recent half, 28% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1964 peak of 222 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Zena popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1964)
- 222
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Zena by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (1,041 births, 17% of the file).
1960s was Zena's strongest decade.
1,041 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Zena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 77
1880s
77 births
- 1890s 133
1890s
133 births
- 1900s 155
1900s
155 births
- 1910s 347
1910s
347 births
- 1920s
1920s
432 births
- 1930s 229
1930s
229 births
- 1940s 207
1940s
207 births
- 1950s 283
1950s
283 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,041 births
- 1970s 343
1970s
343 births
- 1980s
1980s
509 births
- 1990s
1990s
735 births
- 2000s 411
2000s
411 births
- 2010s
2010s
585 births
- 2020s
2020s
499 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 1,041 births (17% of all-time use).
How Zena 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 Zena's total volume
Zena by state
Where Zena concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 492 | 8.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 489 | 8.2% |
| #3 | Texas | | 242 | 4.0% |
| #4 | Florida | | 118 | 2.0% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 95 | 1.6% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 88 | 1.5% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 76 | 1.3% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 72 | 1.2% |
492 of 5,986 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.
Zena appears in 25 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Zena? ▼
Where does Zena sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Zena most popular? ▼
Where is Zena most popular? ▼
How long has the name Zena been used? ▼
What names are similar to Zena? ▼
What to do with Zena's data
- Zena's usage has stayed within range of its 1960s decade-level peak (1,041 total births) through the 2020s (499) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Zenas (492 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Zena
Nearby Names Like Zena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zena
Compare Zena side by side: Zena vs Zenobia Zena vs Zendaya Zena vs Zenaida
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Zena
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Zena: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1964)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Zena 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 August 2026.