Zamyla
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 30 living Americans carry the first name Zamyla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zamyla today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zamyla births was 2023 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zamyla. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zamyla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
30
~ 1 in 11,425,145 Americans
Peak year
2023
11 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,595
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Zamyla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zamyla from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 23 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zamyla 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 Zamyla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zamyla
The name Zamyla is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages, dating back to around 3500 BCE. Scholars trace its roots to the Sumerian word "zamil," which means "beautiful flower" or "blossoming." The name was likely originally used to describe a person of exceptional beauty or charm.
Zamyla is thought to have been a relatively common name among the Sumerian people, who inhabited the region of ancient Mesopotamia, now part of modern-day Iraq. The name can be found inscribed on several clay tablets and cuneiform tablets from the period, suggesting its widespread use.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Zamyla can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian epic poem dating back to around 2100 BCE. In this epic, Zamyla is mentioned as the name of a priestess in the temple of the goddess Ishtar.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Zamyla. One of the earliest recorded was Zamyla of Larsa, a Sumerian princess who lived around 1800 BCE. She was renowned for her beauty and intellectual pursuits, and is said to have been an influential figure in the court of her father, King Sîn-iqišam.
Another famous Zamyla was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 5th century BCE. She was a student of Socrates and is said to have made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy. Unfortunately, few of her writings have survived to the present day.
In the Middle Ages, there was a Zamyla who was a renowned poet and scholar in the court of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. She is credited with writing several influential works on Persian literature and poetry, which helped to shape the literary traditions of the region.
During the Renaissance period, a woman named Zamyla was a prominent artist and painter in the city of Florence, Italy. Her works were highly regarded for their attention to detail and use of vibrant colors, and several of her paintings can still be found in various museums and galleries across Europe.
In more recent times, one of the most notable individuals with the name Zamyla was a Russian ballerina who lived in the early 20th century. She was a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet and was widely acclaimed for her graceful performances and technical mastery of the art form.
While the name Zamyla may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and cultural significance continue to endure, serving as a reminder of the diverse and fascinating origins of names from around the world.
People
Zamyla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zamyla 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
Zamyla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zamyla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 30 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zamyla 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 11,425,145 US residents.
Is Zamyla a common name?
We classify Zamyla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 30 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zamyla most popular?
The single biggest year for Zamyla was 2023, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zamyla is about 7 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 Zamyla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zamyla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zamyla 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 Zamyla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zamyla 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 Zamyla 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 common is the name Zamyla?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.