Zaiba
A feminine Arabic name meaning "shining bright".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Zaiba. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zaiba today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zaiba births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zaiba. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Zaiba with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zaiba. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#17,696
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Zaiba: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zaiba by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Zaiba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Zaiba
The name Zaiba has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, and its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Arabic word "zaib," which means "radiant," "shining," or "brilliant." The name Zaiba is often associated with beauty, light, and grace.
In ancient Arabic literature and poetry, the name Zaiba was often used as a metaphor to describe the beauty and radiance of the moon or a beloved. It was a popular name among the Arab nobility and upper classes during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zaiba can be found in the works of the renowned Arab poet and philosopher, Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri, who lived from 973 to 1057 CE. He used the name Zaiba in several of his poems to symbolize the beauty and elegance of his beloved.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Zaiba. One of the most famous was Zaiba bint Amir al-Kalbi, a prominent Arab poet and scholar who lived in the 7th century CE. She was known for her eloquence and mastery of the Arabic language, and her poetry is still studied and admired today.
Another notable figure was Zaiba al-Andalusia, a renowned Muslim scholar and philosopher from the 12th century. She was born in the city of Córdoba, in what is now Spain, and was celebrated for her contributions to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and poetry.
In the 14th century, there was Zaiba al-Dimashqiyya, a Syrian mystic and Sufi poet who was renowned for her spiritual teachings and her beautiful poetry, which often explored themes of divine love and enlightenment.
In more recent history, one of the most famous bearers of the name Zaiba was Zaiba Khatun, an Indian princess and poet who lived in the 16th century. She was the daughter of the Mughal emperor Akbar and was known for her literary talents and her patronage of the arts.
Another notable figure was Zaiba Khanam, an Indian actress and dancer who lived in the early 20th century. She was a pioneer of the Indian film industry and is remembered for her graceful performances and her contributions to the art of classical Indian dance.
People
Zaiba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zaiba as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zaiba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zaiba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zaiba going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Zaiba a common name?
We classify Zaiba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zaiba most popular?
The single biggest year for Zaiba was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zaiba is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Zaiba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zaiba a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zaiba in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Zaiba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zaiba in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Zaiba can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Zaiba?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Zaiba, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.