Girls' name · since 1880

Zola

9,286 babies named Zola in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2018. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#1,765 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#1,334 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
9,286
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade

Yes -- Zola is the #1334 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 9,286 recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zola has been recorded 9,286 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #1334 nationally and more common than 92% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. 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.

  • #1,765 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #1,334 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 9,286 born since 1880
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zola ranks #1,765 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,334 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 9,286 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.

#1,765 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#1,334 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
9,286
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%92.2%
Zola vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Zola's 9,286 recorded births place it above 97.56% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

37 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

37 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Zola compares

9,286 Top 10% higher than 90% 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

Zola's all-time total is 25x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Zola Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 9,286 376 567,345
Peak-year births 278 21 19,840

Zola's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Zola splits its recorded history at 1951: 43% of all births land in the more recent half, 57% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1980 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2018 peak of 278 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Zola popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2018)
278
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0100200300 188018981916193419521970199120092025 167

Zola popularity over time - boys

26 total births recorded since 1916 (Zola as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 26 births
4.555.566.5 19161917192219232018 5

Zola by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (1,525 births, 16% of the file).

2010s was Zola's strongest decade.

1,525 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.

Zola births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 1,525 births (16% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Zola 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 Zola's total volume

Zola vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -55, 3.3%-102, 2.6%-33, 6.4%-116, 6.2%-146, 1.9%-57, 7.9%-105, 6%-141, 2.8%-68, 6%-63, 6.8%-42, 6.3%-68, 5.6%-54, 3.7%-44, 5.9%-36, 6%Zola-146, 3%Zola
Zola vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Zola by state

Where Zola concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Zola
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
357 3.8%
#2 Kentucky
356 3.8%
#3 California
259 2.8%
#4 North Carolina
259 2.8%
#5 Tennessee
256 2.8%
#6 Illinois
235 2.5%
#7 Missouri
229 2.5%
#8 Georgia
221 2.4%
Texas share of Zola's total US births 3.8%
Even split

357 of 9,286 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 37 reporting states.

Zola appears in 37 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Zola?
9,286 babies have been named Zola since 1880. All-time, it sits at #1,765 of 72,339 girls' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #1,334 of 17,297 among girls. The peak year was 2018 with 278 births.
Where does Zola sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zola ranks #1,765 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,334 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Zola most popular?
Zola was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,525 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Zola most popular?
The top states for the name Zola are Texas (357 births), Kentucky (356 births), California (259 births).
How long has the name Zola been used?
Zola has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Zola?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Zollie, Zolani, Zolah, Zolie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Zola's data

  • Zola's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (1,525 total births) through the 2020s (1,400) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Texas records the most Zolas (357 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Zola

Nearby Names Like Zola

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zola

Names with a similar popularity rank to Zola

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Zola: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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 Zola 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.