Names Starting with Z

gender
usage
Zaahir 1 m Arabic
Means "shining, brilliant, radiant" in Arabic, derived from the root زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
Zaahir 2 m Arabic
Means "clear, evident, manifest, outward" in Arabic, a derivative of ظهر (ẓahara) meaning "to be visible, to be clear". In Islamic tradition الظاهر (al-Ẓāhir) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Zaahira f Arabic
Feminine form of Zaahir 1.
Zaal m Georgian
Georgian form of Zal.
Zababa m Sumerian Mythology
Meaning unknown. This was the name of a Sumerian and Akkadian war god worshipped in the city-state of Kish.
Zabel f Armenian
Armenian form of Isabel. A 13th-century ruling queen of Cilician Armenia bore this name.
Zac m English
Short form of Zachary.
Zacarías m Spanish
Spanish form of Zechariah and Zacharias.
Zacarias m Portuguese
Portuguese form of Zechariah and Zacharias.
Zaccai m Biblical
From the Hebrew name זַכָּי (Zakkai) meaning "pure". This is the name of a minor character in the Old Testament.
Zaccaria m Italian
Italian form of Zechariah and Zacharias.
Zacchaeus m Biblical
From Ζακχαῖος (Zakchaios), the Greek form of Zaccai. According to the New Testament, Zacchaeus was a tax collector who climbed a tree in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus, then gave half of his possessions to charity.
Zaccharias m Biblical Latin
Form of Zacharias used in the Latin Bible.
Zaccheus m Biblical Latin
Latin form of Zakchaios (see Zacchaeus) used in the Vulgate.
Zach m English
Short form of Zachary.
Zachariah m English, Biblical
Variant of Zechariah. This spelling is used in the King James Version of the Old Testament to refer to one of the kings of Israel (called Zechariah in other versions).
Zacharias m Biblical, Biblical Greek, Greek
Greek form of Zechariah. This form of the name is used in most English translations of the New Testament to refer to the father of John the Baptist. It was also borne by an 8th-century pope (called Zachary in English).
Zacharie m French
French form of Zechariah and Zacharias.
Zachary m English, Biblical
Usual English form of Zacharias, used in some English versions of the New Testament. This form has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation. It was borne by American military commander and president Zachary Taylor (1784-1850).
Zachery m English
Variant of Zachary.
Zack m English
Short form of Zachary.
Zackary m English
Variant of Zachary.
Zackery m English
Variant of Zachary.
Zadkiel m Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Means "God is my righteousness" in Hebrew. This is the name of an archangel associated with mercy in Jewish and Christian tradition, sometimes said to be the angel who stops Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac.
Zadok m Biblical
Means "righteous" in Hebrew. This is the name of several characters in the Old Testament, most notably the high priest of Israel during the reigns of David and Solomon. Solomon was anointed by Zadok.
Zafar m Arabic, Urdu
Means "victory" in Arabic.
Zafer m Turkish
Turkish form of Zafar.
Zahara f Hebrew
Feminine form of Zohar.
Zahari m Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Zechariah.
Zaharina f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Bulgarian and Macedonian feminine form of Zechariah.
Zaheer m Arabic, Urdu
Alternate transcription of Arabic ظهير or Urdu ظہیر (see Zahir).
Zaher m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ظاهر (see Zaahir 2).
Zahi m Arabic
Means "beautiful, brilliant" in Arabic.
Zahia f Arabic
Feminine form of Zahi.
Zahid m Arabic, Urdu
Means "pious, devout" in Arabic.
Zahida f Arabic, Urdu
Feminine form of Zahid.
Zahide f Turkish
Turkish feminine form of Zahid.
Zahir m Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali
Means "helper, supporter" in Arabic, related to ظهر (ẓahara) meaning "to be visible, to be clear". This can also be an alternate transcription of Arabic زاهر (see Zaahir 1) or ظاهر (see Zaahir 2).
Zahira f Arabic
Feminine form of Zahir.
Zəhra f Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Zahra 1.
Zahra 1 f Arabic, Persian
From Arabic زهراء (zahrāʾ), the feminine form of أزهر (ʾazhar) meaning "shining, brilliant, bright". This is an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatima.... [more]
Zahra 2 f Arabic, Urdu
Means "blooming flower, splendour" in Arabic, from the root زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine, to bloom".... [more]
Zahrah f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زهرة (see Zahra 2).
Zaid m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زيد (see Zayd).
Zaida f Arabic (Rare), Spanish
Feminine form of Zayd. This was the name of a Muslim princess who took refuge at the court of (and perhaps married) Alfonso VI of León and Castile in the 11th century.
Zain m Arabic, Urdu, Malay
Alternate transcription of Arabic زين (see Zayn), as well as the usual Urdu and Malay form.
Zaina f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زينة (see Zayna).
Zainab f Arabic, Urdu, Hausa, Malay, Indonesian
Alternate transcription of Arabic زينب (see Zaynab), as well as the usual form in several languages.
Zainabu f Swahili, Hausa
Swahili and Hausa form of Zaynab.
Zainuddin m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زين الدين (see Zayn ad-Din).
Zaira f Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Zaïre. It was used by Vincenzo Bellini for the heroine of his opera Zaira (1829), which was based on Voltaire's 1732 play Zaïre.
Zaïre f Literature
Used by Voltaire for the heroine of his tragic play Zaïre (1732), about an enslaved Christian woman who is due to marry the Sultan. She is named Zara in many English adaptations. The name was earlier used by Jean Racine for a minor character (also a slave girl) in his play Bajazet (1672). It is likely based on the Arabic name Zahra 1.
Zaire m African American (Modern)
From the name of a country in Africa from 1971 to 1997, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is said to be derived from Kikongo nzadi o nzere meaning "river swallowing rivers", referring to the Congo River.
Zak m English
Short form of Zachary.
Zakaria m Georgian, Malay, Indonesian, Arabic
Georgian, Malay and Indonesian form of Zechariah and Zacharias, as well as an alternate transcription of Arabic زكريّا (see Zakariyya).
Zakariya m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زكريّا (see Zakariyya).
Zakariyya m Arabic
Arabic form of Zechariah and Zacharias.
Zakchaios m Biblical Greek
Form of Zacchaeus used in the Greek New Testament.
Zakhar m Russian
Russian form of Zacharias.
Zaki m Arabic
Means "pure" in Arabic.
Zakiah f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زكيّة (see Zakiyya).
Zakiya f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زكيّة (see Zakiyya).
Zakiyya f Arabic
Feminine form of Zaki.
Zakkai m Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Zaccai.
Žaklina f Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian
Macedonian, Croatian and Serbian form of Jacqueline.
Zal m Persian Mythology
Means "albino" in Persian. According to the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh this was the name of a white-haired warrior, the father of Rostam.
Zala f Slovene
Diminutive of Rozalija.
Zalán m Hungarian
Possibly from the name of the region of Zala in western Hungary, itself named for the Zala River. This name used by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty in his 1823 epic Zalán Futása.
Zalman m Yiddish
Yiddish variant of Solomon.
Zalmon m Biblical
Means "shady" in Hebrew. This is the name of one of David's mighty men in the Old Testament.
Zaman m Arabic, Urdu
Means "time, age, era" in Arabic.
Zamir m Arabic, Urdu, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik
Means "mind, heart, conscience" in Arabic.
Zamira f Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Kazakh
Feminine form of Zamir.
Žan m Slovene
Slovene form of Zuan, Gian or Jean 1.
Zan f & m Chinese
From Chinese (zàn) meaning "help, support", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Žana f Slovene, Croatian
Slovene and Croatian form of Gianna.
Zandra f English
Short form of Alexandra.
Zane 1 m English
From an English surname of unknown meaning. It was introduced as a given name by American author Zane Grey (1872-1939). Zane was in fact his middle name — it had been his mother's maiden name.
Zane 2 f Latvian
Latvian form of Susanna.
Žaneta f Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian
Czech, Slovak and Lithuanian form of Jeannette.
Żaneta f Polish
Polish form of Jeannette.
Žanna f Latvian
Latvian form of Jeanne.
Zanna f English
Short form of Suzanna.
Zanokuhle f & m Xhosa, Zulu
Means "come with goodness" in Zulu and Xhosa, from the roots za "to come, to approach" and hle "beautiful, good".
Zara 1 f Literature, English
Used by William Congreve for a character in his tragedy The Mourning Bride (1697), where it belongs to a captive North African queen. Congreve may have based it on the Arabic name Zahra 1. In 1736 the English writer Aaron Hill used it to translate Zaïre for his popular adaptation of Voltaire's French play Zaïre (1732).... [more]
Zara 2 f Bulgarian
Diminutive of Zaharina.
Zarah m Biblical
Form of Zerah used in some translations of the Bible.
Zarathushtra m Avestan
Avestan form of Zarathustra.
Zarathustra m History
From Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (Zarathushtra), in which the second element is 𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (ushtra) meaning "camel". Proposed meanings for the first element include "old", "moving", "angry" and "yellow". Zarathustra was an Iranian prophet who founded the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism around the 10th century BC. He is also called Zoroaster in English, from the Greek form of his name Ζωροάστρης (Zoroastres).
Zareen f Urdu
Variant of Zarina.
Zaria f English (Modern)
Possibly based on Zahra 2 or the Nigerian city of Zaria.
Zərifə f Azerbaijani
Means "gentle, pleasant" in Azerbaijani, ultimately from Arabic ظريف (ẓarīf).
Zarifa f Arabic
From Arabic ظريف (ẓarīf) meaning "elegant, graceful, charming".
Zarina f Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik, Urdu, Malay
From Persian زرین (zarīn) meaning "golden". According to the 5th-century BC Greek historian Ctesias, this was the name of a Scythian queen.
Zarja f Slovene
Slovene variant of Zora.
Žarko m Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Derived from South Slavic žar meaning "ember, zeal, fervour".
Zartosht m Persian
Modern Persian form of Zarathustra.
Zaur m Azerbaijani, Ossetian, Chechen, Georgian
Azerbaijani, Ossetian, Chechen and Georgian form of Zawar.
Zaurbek m Ossetian, Chechen
Derived from Arabic زوار (zawār) meaning "pilgrim" combined with the Turkic military title beg meaning "chieftain, master".
Zavia f English (Rare)
Modern feminine form of Xavier.
Záviš m Czech (Rare)
Derived from Czech závist meaning "envy".
Zawadi f & m Swahili
Means "gift" in Swahili, derived from Arabic زواد (zawād) meaning "provisions".
Zawar m Arabic, Urdu
Means "pilgrim, visitor" in Arabic.
Zawisza m Polish (Archaic)
Polish cognate of Záviš.
Zaxaria m Old Church Slavic
Old Church Slavic form of Zechariah and Zacharias.
Zaya f Mongolian
Means "fate, destiny" in Mongolian.
Zayd m Arabic
Means "growth" in Arabic, derived from زاد (zāda) meaning "to grow, to increase". This was the name of a slave who became the adopted son of the Prophet Muhammad.
Zayden m English (Modern)
An invented name, using the popular den suffix sound found in such names as Braden, Hayden, Jayden and Aidan.
Zayn m Arabic
Means "beauty, grace" in Arabic. This was the name of a son of Husayn ibn Ali. Shia Muslims consider him to be the fourth imam.... [more]
Zayna f Arabic
Feminine form of Zayn.
Zaynab f Arabic
Meaning uncertain. It is possibly related to Arabic زين (zayn) meaning "beauty"; it could be from the name of a fragrant flowering tree; or it could be an Arabic form of Zenobia, a name borne by a pre-Islamic queen of Palmyra. Zaynab was the name of a daughter, a granddaughter, and two wives of the Prophet Muhammad.
Zayn ad-Din m Arabic
Means "beauty of religion", from Arabic زين (zayn) meaning "beauty" combined with دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith".
Zazil f Mayan
Means "clear, light, clarity" in Yucatec Maya. Zazil Há was a 16th-century Maya woman who married the Spanish shipwreck survivor Gonzalo Guerrero.
Zbigniew m Polish
Derived from the Slavic elements jĭzbyti "to dispel" and gněvŭ "anger". This was the name of a 12th-century duke of Poland.
Zbyněk m Czech
Diminutive of Zbyhněv, now used independently.
Zdena f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Zdeněk or Zdenko.
Zdeněk m Czech
Originally a diminutive of Zdislav, now used independently. It has sometimes been used as a Czech form of Sidonius.
Zdeňka f Czech
Feminine form of Zdeněk.
Zdenka f Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian
Feminine form of Zdeněk or Zdenko.
Zdenko m Slovak, Croatian, Slovene
Slovak, Croatian and Slovene form of Zdeněk.
Zdeno m Slovak
Slovak variant of Zdenko.
Zdeslav m Croatian (Rare)
Croatian form of Zdzisław. This name was borne by a 9th-century duke of Croatia.
Zdislav m Czech
Czech form of Zdzisław.
Zdislava f Czech
Czech feminine form of Zdzisław. This name was borne by the 13th-century Czech saint Zdislava Berka.
Zdravko m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Derived from South Slavic zdrav meaning "healthy", ultimately from Old Slavic sŭdorvŭ.
Zdzisław m Polish
Slavic name, possibly from the element děti "to do, to say" combined with slava "glory".
Zdzisława f Polish
Feminine form of Zdzisław.
m Portuguese
Portuguese diminutive of José.
Zeb m English
Short form of Zebulun or Zebedee.
Zebadiah m Biblical
Means "Yahweh has given" in Hebrew, derived from זָבַד (zavaḏ) meaning "to give" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several Old Testament characters.
Zebedaios m Biblical Greek
New Testament Greek form of Zebedee.
Zebedee m Biblical
From Ζεβεδαῖος (Zebedaios), the Greek form of Zebadiah used in the New Testament, where it refers to the father of the apostles James and John.
Zebidah f Biblical
Derived from Hebrew זָבַד (zavaḏ) meaning "to give". In the Old Testament she is a wife of King Josiah of Judah and the mother of Jehoiakim. Her name is spelled as Zebudah in some translations.
Zebudah f Biblical
Variant of Zebidah found in some versions of the Old Testament (including the King James Version).
Zebulon m Biblical
Variant of Zebulun.
Zebulun m Biblical
Derived from Hebrew זְבוּל (zevul) meaning "exalted house". In the Old Testament Zebulun is the tenth son of Jacob (his sixth son by Leah) and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Genesis 30:20 connects the name to the related verb זָבַל (zaval), translated as "exalt, honour" or "dwell with" in different versions of the Bible, when Leah says my husband will exalt/dwell with me.
Zechariah m Biblical, English
From the Hebrew name זְכַרְיָה (Zeḵarya) meaning "Yahweh remembers", from the roots זָכַר (zaḵar) meaning "to remember" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many characters in the Old Testament, including the prophet Zechariah, the author of the Book of Zechariah. The name also appears in the New Testament belonging to the father of John the Baptist, who was temporarily made dumb because of his disbelief. He is regarded as a saint by Christians. In some versions of the New Testament his name is spelled in the Greek form Zacharias or the English form Zachary. As an English given name, Zechariah has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation.
Zed m English
Short form of Zedekiah.
Zedekiah m Biblical
From the Hebrew name צִדְקִיָּהוּ (Tsiḏqiyyahu) meaning "Yahweh is righteousness", from צֶדֶק (tseḏeq) meaning "justice, righteousness" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of the last king of Judah.
Zedong m & f Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "moist, grace, brilliance" combined with (dōng) meaning "east", as well as other character combinations. A notable bearer was the founder of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong (1893-1976).
Zeenat f Urdu
Usual Urdu transcription of Zinat.
Zeev m Hebrew
Means "wolf" in Hebrew, an animal particularly associated with the tribe of Benjamin (see Genesis 49:27).
Zef m Albanian
Short form of Jozef.
Zeferino m Portuguese
Portuguese form of the Roman name Zephyrinus, which was derived from the Greek Zephyros (see Zephyr). Saint Zephyrinus was a 3rd-century pope.
Zehra f Turkish, Urdu
Turkish and Urdu form of Zahra 1 or Zahra 2.
Zeina f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زينة (see Zayna).
Zeinab f Persian
Persian form of Zaynab.
Zejd m Bosnian
Bosnian form of Zayd.
Zejneb f Bosnian
Bosnian form of Zaynab.
Zeke m English
Short form of Ezekiel.
Zekeriya m Turkish
Turkish form of Zechariah.
Zeki m Turkish
Means "intelligent, clever" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic ذكيّ (dhakīy).
Zekiye f Turkish
Feminine form of Zeki.
Zelda 1 f Yiddish
Possibly a feminine form of Zelig.
Zelda 2 f English
Short form of Griselda. This is the name of a princess in the Legend of Zelda video games, debuting in 1986 and called ゼルダ (Zeruda) in Japanese. According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto she was named after the American socialite Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948).
Zelde f Yiddish (Rare)
Possibly a feminine form of Zelig.
Zélie f French
Short form of Azélie. This is another name of Saint Marie-Azélie Guérin (1831-1877).
Zelig m Yiddish
Means "blessed, happy" in Yiddish, a vernacular form of Asher.
Želimir m Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Serbo-Croatian želeti "to wish, to desire" combined with the Slavic element mirŭ "peace, world".
Zelimkhan m Chechen
Combination of the name Salim and the Turkic title khan meaning "ruler, leader".
Željka f Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Feminine form of Željko.
Željko m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Derived from South Slavic želja meaning "desire", ultimately from Old Slavic želěti.
Zella f English
Meaning unknown, possibly an invented name. It arose in the 19th century.
Zelma f English
Variant of Selma 1.
Želmíra f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Želimir.
Zelophehad m Biblical
Possibly means either "first born" or "shadow from terror" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Zelophehad is a man who dies while the Israelites are wandering in the wilderness, leaving five daughters as heirs.
Zelpha f Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Form of Zilpah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament.
Zeltzin f Nahuatl
Nahuatl name of uncertain meaning, said to mean "delicate".
Zemfira f Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Literature
Meaning unknown, possibly of Romani origin. This name was (first?) used by Aleksandr Pushkin in his poem The Gypsies (1827).
Zena f English
Meaning unknown. It could be a variant of Xenia or a diminutive of names featuring this sound, such as Alexina, Rosina or Zenobia. This name has occasionally been used since the 19th century.
Zenaida f Late Greek
Apparently a Greek derivative of Ζηναΐς (Zenais), which was derived from the name of the Greek god Zeus. This was the name of a 1st-century saint who was a doctor with her sister Philonella.
Zenais f Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek variant of Zenaida.
Zendaya f African American (Modern)
Borne by the American actress Zendaya Coleman (1996-), known simply as Zendaya. Her name was apparently inspired by the Shona name Tendai.
Zeno m Ancient Greek (Latinized), Italian
From the Greek name Ζήνων (Zenon), which was derived from the name of the Greek god Zeus (the poetic form of his name being Ζήν). Zeno was the name of two famous Greek philosophers: Zeno of Elea and Zeno of Citium, the founder of the Stoic school in Athens.
Zenobia f Ancient Greek
Means "life of Zeus", derived from Greek Ζηνός (Zenos) meaning "of Zeus" and βίος (bios) meaning "life". This was the name of the queen of the Palmyrene Empire, which broke away from Rome in the 3rd-century and began expanding into Roman territory. She was eventually defeated by the emperor Aurelian. Her Greek name was used as an approximation of her native Aramaic name.
Zenobios m Ancient Greek
Masculine form of Zenobia.
Zenon m Ancient Greek, Polish
Ancient Greek form of Zeno, as well as the modern Polish form.
Zenonas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Zeno.
Zenovia f Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Ζηνοβία (see Zinovia).
Zente m Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian szent meaning "holy, saint".
Zenzi f German
Diminutive of Kreszenz.
Zeph m English
Short form of Zephaniah.
Zephania m Southern African, Eastern African
Variant of Zephaniah. This form of the name appears to be used in southern and eastern Africa.
Zephaniah m Biblical
From the Hebrew name ץְפַןְיָה (Tsefanya) meaning "Yahweh has hidden", derived from צָפַן (tsafan) meaning "to hide" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Zephaniah.
Zephaniel m Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
From Hebrew צָפַן (tsafan) meaning "to hide" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of an angel in medieval Jewish mysticism.
Zephyr m Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
From the Greek Ζέφυρος (Zephyros) meaning "west wind". Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind.
Zéphyrine f French (Rare)
French feminine form of Zephyrinus (see Zeferino).
Zephyrus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Zephyros (see Zephyr).
Zerach m Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Zerah.
Zerachiel m Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Possibly means "command of God" in Hebrew. The Book of Enoch names him as one of the seven archangels. His name is sometimes rendered as Sarakiel.
Zerah m Biblical
Means "dawning, shining" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of Judah and the twin of Perez in the Old Testament.
Zeresh f Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Meaning unknown, probably of Persian origin. In the Book of Esther in the Old Testament she is the wife of Haman the Agagite.
Zerina f Bosnian
Bosnian form of Zarina.
Zeru m Basque
Means "sky" in Basque.
Zeruiah f Biblical
From Hebrew צֳרִי (tsori) meaning "balm, salve". In the Old Testament this name belongs to the sister of King David and the mother of Abishai, Joab and Asahel.
Zétény m Hungarian
Possibly from the Old Slavic root zętĭ meaning "son-in-law".
Zeus m Greek Mythology
The name of a Greek god, related to the old Indo-European god *Dyēws, from the root *dyew- meaning "sky" or "shine". In Greek mythology he was the highest of the gods. After he and his siblings defeated the Titans, Zeus ruled over the earth and humankind from atop Mount Olympus. He had control over the weather and his weapon was a thunderbolt.... [more]
Zev m Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew זְאֵב (see Zeev).
Zevida f Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Zebidah.
Zeyd m Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Zayd.
Zeynəb f Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Zaynab.
Zeynab f Persian, Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Persian زینب (see Zeinab) or Azerbaijani Zeynəb.
Zeynep f Turkish
Turkish form of Zaynab.
Zezé m Portuguese
Portuguese diminutive of José.
Zhaklina f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Bulgarian form of Jacqueline, as well as an alternate transcription of Macedonian Жаклина (see Žaklina).
Zhaleh f Persian
Means "dew" or "hoarfrost" in Persian.
Zhalgas m Kazakh
Means "continuation, prolongation" in Kazakh.
Zhandos m Kazakh
From Kazakh жан (zhan) meaning "soul" and дос (dos) meaning "friend" (both words of Persian origin).
Zhanna f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Jeanne.
Zhannochka f Russian
Diminutive of Zhanna.
Zhansaya f Kazakh
From Kazakh жан (zhan) meaning "soul" and сая (saya) meaning "shadow, shade, protection, comfort" (both words of Persian origin).
Zharko m Macedonian
Alternate transcription of Macedonian Жарко (see Žarko).
Zhelyazko m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian желязо (zhelyazo) meaning "iron".
Zhen f & m Chinese
From Chinese (zhēn) meaning "precious, rare", (zhēn) meaning "real, genuine", (zhēn) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zheng m & f Chinese
From Chinese (zhèng) meaning "right, proper, correct" or (zhèng) meaning "government", as well as other hanja characters with a similar pronunciation.
Zhenya f & m Russian, Bulgarian
Russian diminutive of Yevgeniya or Yevgeniy or a Bulgarian diminutive of Evgeniya.
Zhi m & f Chinese
From Chinese (zhì) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or (zhì) meaning "wisdom, intellect", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zhihao m & f Chinese
From Chinese (zhì) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or (zhì) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with (háo) meaning "brave, heroic, chivalrous". Many other character combinations are possible.
Zhirayr m Armenian
Means "strong, active" in Armenian.
Zhivka f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Živko.
Zhivko m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Bulgarian form of Živko, as well as an alternate transcription for Macedonian.
Zhong m & f Chinese
From Chinese (zhōng) meaning "middle" or (zhōng) meaning "loyalty, devotion". Other characters can form this name as well.
Zhou m & f Chinese
From Chinese (zhōu) meaning "boat, ship", in addition to other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zhubin m Persian (Rare)
Possibly a variant of چوبین (see Chobin).
Zhuldyz f Kazakh
Means "star" in Kazakh.
Zhulong m Chinese Mythology
From Chinese (zhú) meaning "candle, torch, light" and (lóng) meaning "dragon". In Chinese mythology this was the name of a giant scarlet serpent, also called the Torch Dragon in English.
Zhyldyz f Kyrgyz
Alternate transcription of Kyrgyz Жылдыз (see Jyldyz).
Zhyrgal m & f Kyrgyz
Alternate transcription of Kyrgyz Жыргал (see Jyrgal).
Zia m Arabic, Urdu, Bengali
Alternate transcription of Arabic ضياء (see Ziya), as well as the usual Urdu and Bengali transcription.
Ziad m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زياد (see Ziyad).
Ziaeddin m Persian
Persian form of Ziya ad-Din.
Ziauddin m Arabic, Urdu
Alternate transcription of Arabic ضياء الدين (see Ziya ad-Din), as well as the usual Urdu transcription.
Ziba 1 f Persian
Means "beautiful" in Persian.
Ziba 2 m Biblical
Means "station" in Hebrew. This is the name of a servant of Saul in the Old Testament.
Zibiah f Biblical
Means "female gazelle" in Hebrew, the feminine form of the word ץְבִי (tsevi). In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother of King Joash of Judah.
Ziemowit m Polish
From an old Polish name derived from the elements sěmĭja "family" and vitŭ "master, lord". This was the name of a semi-legendary duke of Poland. It was also borne by several other Piast rulers of Masovia.
Zifa f Tatar, Bashkir
Tatar and Bashkir form of Ziba 1.
Žiga m Slovene
Slovene form of Sigmund.
Zigmārs m Latvian
Latvian form of Siegmar.
Žigmund m Slovak
Slovak form of Sigmund.
Zigor m Basque
Means "rod, staff" or "punishment" in Basque.
Zikmund m Czech
Czech form of Sigmund.
Zikomo m & f Chewa
Means "thank you, greeting" in Chewa.
Zilla f German (Rare)
Diminutive of Cäcilie.
Zillah f Biblical
Means "shade" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament she is the second wife of Lamech.
Zilpa f Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Spanish, Biblical French, Biblical Italian, Biblical Dutch
Biblical Hebrew form of Zilpah, as well as the form in several other languages.
Zilpah f Biblical
Means "frailty" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the handmaid who was given to Jacob by Leah.
Zimri m Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Probably means "my music" in Hebrew, a possessive form of זִםְרָה (zimra) meaning "music, song". This was the name of a king of Israel according to the Old Testament. He ruled for only seven days, when he was succeeded by the commander of the army Omri. Another Zimri in the Old Testament was the the lover of the Midianite woman Cozbi.
Zina f Russian
Short form of Zinaida.
Zinaida f Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian
Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian form of Zenaida.
Zinat f Persian, Bengali
Means "ornament" in Persian (of Arabic origin).
Zineb f Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic زينب (see Zaynab) chiefly used in North Africa.
Zinedine m Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic زين الدين (see Zayn ad-Din) chiefly used in North Africa. A famous bearer is the French soccer player Zinedine Zidane (1972-), who was born to Algerian parents.
Zinnia f English (Rare)
From the name of the flower, which was itself named for the German botanist Johann Zinn.
Zinon m Greek
Modern Greek transcription of Ζήνων (see Zeno).
Zinovia f Greek
Modern Greek transcription of Zenobia.
Zinoviy m Russian, Ukrainian
Russian and Ukrainian form of the Greek name Ζηνόβιος (Zenobios), the masculine form of Zenobia.
Zinoviya f Russian (Rare), Ukrainian (Rare)
Russian and Ukrainian form of Zenobia.
Zinovy m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Зиновий (see Zinoviy).
Zion m Jewish, Biblical
From the name of a citadel that was in the center of Jerusalem. Zion is also used to refer to a Jewish homeland and to heaven.
Zipporah f Biblical, Hebrew
From the Hebrew name צִפּוֹרָה (Tsippora), derived from צִפּוֹר (tsippor) meaning "bird". In the Old Testament this is the name of the Midianite wife of Moses. She was the daughter of the priest Jethro.
Ziri m Berber
Means "moonlight" in Tamazight.
Zisel f Yiddish (Rare)
From Yiddish זיס (zis) meaning "sweet".
Ziska f German
Short form of Franziska.
Zita 1 f Italian, Portuguese, German, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian, Latvian
Means "little girl" in Tuscan Italian. This was the name of a 13th-century saint, the patron saint of servants.
Zita 2 f Hungarian
Diminutive of Felicitás.
Zitkala f Sioux
From Lakota zitkála meaning "bird".
Ziv m & f Hebrew
Means "bright, radiant" in Hebrew. This was the ancient name of the second month of the Jewish calendar.
Živa f Slavic Mythology, Slovene, Serbian
From the Old Slavic word živŭ meaning "alive, living". According to the 12th-century Saxon priest Helmold, this was the name of a Slavic goddess possibly associated with life or fertility.
Ziva f Hebrew
Feminine form of Ziv.
Zivit f Hebrew
Feminine form of Ziv.
Živka f Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Živko.
Živko m Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian
Derived from the South Slavic word živ meaning "alive, living".
Ziya m Arabic, Turkish
Means "splendour, light, glow" in Arabic. This was the name of a 14th-century Islamic Indian historian.
Ziya ad-Din m Arabic
Means "splendour of religion" from Arabic ضياء (ḍiyāʾ) meaning "splendour, light, glow" combined with دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith".
Ziya al-Din m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ضياء الدين (see Ziya ad-Din).
Ziyad m Arabic
Means "growth, increase, excess" in Arabic, a derivative of زاد (zāda) meaning "to grow, to increase".