NameCensus.
Very Rare

Zanah

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "grace" or "charm".

Name Census estimates that about 30 living Americans carry the first name Zanah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zanah today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zanah births was 1994 (14 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Zanah. 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 Zanah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

30

~ 1 in 11,425,145 Americans

Peak year

1994

14 babies that year

Average age

30

years old

2003 SSA rank

#15,754

Tracked since 1994

Popularity

Zanah: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Zanah from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 25 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.

Babies born per year

047111419952000

Decades

Zanah 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 Zanah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1990s02525
2000s066

Origin

Meaning and history of Zanah

The name Zanah has its origins in Arabic, where it is derived from the word "Zannah," meaning "beautiful" or "graceful." This name has been in use since ancient times and has a rich cultural history spanning several regions.

In the Middle East, the name Zanah was commonly used among Arabic-speaking communities, particularly in regions like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Syria. It was a popular choice for parents who wished to bestow upon their daughters a name that embodied beauty and elegance.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Zanah can be found in the works of medieval Arabic poets and writers, who often used it as a metaphor for feminine charm and grace. The 11th-century poet Al-Mutanabbi, for instance, wrote several verses praising the beauty of a woman named Zanah.

Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Zanah. One of the earliest was Zanah bint Al-Hasan, a 7th-century Arab woman known for her wisdom and poetic talents. She was a contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad and is believed to have played a role in preserving the teachings of Islam during its early days.

Another prominent Zanah was Zanah Al-Baghdadiyah, a 9th-century Arabic singer and poet from Baghdad. She was renowned for her melodic voice and her contributions to the development of Arabic music and literature during the Abbasid Caliphate.

In the 12th century, Zanah Al-Fakhri was a celebrated Arabic philosopher and teacher from Aleppo, Syria. She was known for her expertise in logic, metaphysics, and Islamic jurisprudence, and her writings influenced many scholars of her time.

Moving to more recent times, Zanah Muayyad was a 20th-century Egyptian novelist and activist born in 1929. Her works addressed social issues and the struggles faced by women in traditional Arab societies. She was also involved in various feminist movements and worked to promote women's rights.

Another notable figure was Zanah Rashid, an Iraqi writer and journalist born in 1941. She was a prolific author of short stories, novels, and essays, and her works often explored themes of identity, culture, and the complexities of modern Arab societies.

These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Zanah throughout history, each leaving their mark in fields ranging from literature and philosophy to music and activism. The name continues to be a popular choice in many Arabic-speaking regions, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage and associations of beauty, grace, and intellectual prowess.

People

Zanah + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Zanah 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

Zanah: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Zanah?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 30 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zanah 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 Zanah a common name?

We classify Zanah 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, 31 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Zanah most popular?

The single biggest year for Zanah was 1994, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zanah is about 30 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 Zanah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Zanah a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zanah 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 Zanah still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Zanah 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 Zanah 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 are named Zanah?

For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.

N
Name Census
namecensus.com

There are 30 people

with the first name

Zanah

Look up any American name

Share this result