Zanyla
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Zana and Nyla.
Name Census estimates that about 485 living Americans carry the first name Zanyla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zanyla today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zanyla births was 2018 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zanyla. 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.
People living today
485
~ 1 in 706,710 Americans
Peak year
2018
42 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,182
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Zanyla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zanyla from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 264 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zanyla remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zanyla 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 Zanyla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zanylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Florida, Georgia, Texas recorded the most babies named Zanyla, while Michigan, Illinois, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zanyla
The name Zanyla has its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages, which was spoken in the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500-3000 BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Sumerian word "zany," meaning "beautiful," and the suffix "-la," which was a common diminutive ending used to form affectionate nicknames or pet names.
Zanyla was a relatively uncommon name in ancient Sumerian texts, but it has been found inscribed on a few cuneiform tablets and clay seals from the Early Dynastic Period of Sumer (ca. 2800-2350 BCE). One notable example is a seal impression belonging to a priestess named Zanyla, who served in the temple of the goddess Inanna in the city of Uruk.
The name Zanyla gained more prominence during the Akkadian Empire (ca. 2350-2150 BCE), when it was adopted by the Semitic Akkadian people who had conquered and assimilated the Sumerian culture. The earliest recorded person with this name was Zanyla of Akkad, a noblewoman who lived during the reign of King Sargon of Akkad (ca. 2334-2279 BCE).
In the later Babylonian period (ca. 1894-539 BCE), the name Zanyla appeared occasionally in cuneiform records and inscriptions, indicating that it remained in use, albeit relatively rare. One notable bearer of this name was Zanyla, a high-ranking priestess of the god Marduk, who served in the city of Babylon during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II (ca. 605-562 BCE).
During the Parthian Empire (247 BCE-224 CE), which ruled over parts of ancient Persia and Mesopotamia, the name Zanyla resurfaced among the nobility and upper classes. A notable figure from this period was Zanyla of Ctesiphon, a prominent scholar and philosopher who lived in the 2nd century CE and wrote extensively on astronomy and astrology.
In the 6th century CE, during the Sassanid Empire (224-651 CE), the name Zanyla was borne by a Persian princess named Zanyla Khosrau, who was the daughter of King Khosrau I (531-579 CE). She was known for her patronage of the arts and her involvement in the construction of several notable mosques and palaces.
While the name Zanyla has fallen out of common usage in modern times, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage of ancient Mesopotamia and the enduring influence of the Sumerian language on the names and traditions of the region.
People
Zanyla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zanyla 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
Zanyla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zanyla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 485 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zanyla 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 706,710 US residents.
Is Zanyla a common name?
We classify Zanyla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 489 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zanyla most popular?
The single biggest year for Zanyla was 2018, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zanyla is about 9 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 Zanyla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zanyla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zanyla 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 Zanyla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zanyla 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 Zanyla 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 Americans are named Zanyla?
See how many people share the name Zanyla on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.