Zhana
A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "life" or "soul".
Name Census estimates that about 155 living Americans carry the first name Zhana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zhana today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zhana births was 1994 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zhana. 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
155
~ 1 in 2,211,318 Americans
Peak year
1994
48 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2016 SSA rank
#18,842
Tracked since 1993
Census
Zhana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 289 people with the first name Zhana, which placed it at #30,250 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#30,250
National first-name rank
People counted
289
289 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
42.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zhana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zhana is Black at 42.9%. The next largest groups are White (42.2%) and Hispanic (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Zhana described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Zhana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American42.9% · 124
- White42.2% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 15
- Two or more races4.8% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 3
Popularity
Zhana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zhana from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 121 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
Decades
Zhana 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 Zhana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zhanas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Zhana
The name Zhana is believed to have its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly in the Balkan region. It is a feminine form derived from the Slavic root "zhan," which is associated with concepts of life, growth, and vitality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zhana can be traced back to the 9th century, when it appeared in ancient Bulgarian manuscripts and chronicles. These early records suggest that the name was popular among the Slavic populations of the Balkan Peninsula during that time period.
In the medieval era, the name Zhana gained prominence in the region, particularly among the noble and ruling classes. Historical accounts mention several notable figures bearing this name, including Zhana of Hungary (1207-1235), a Hungarian princess who married the Byzantine Emperor Theodore I Laskaris.
Another influential figure was Zhana of Navarre (1273-1305), who was the Queen of France and Navarre during the late 13th century. Her reign was marked by her efforts to resolve conflicts between the French monarchy and the Church.
In the 15th century, Zhana d'Arc (1412-1431), better known as Joan of Arc, was a French heroine who played a pivotal role in the Hundred Years' War. Her bravery and conviction led to her martyrdom, and she was later canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
During the Renaissance period, Zhana Grisogono (1470-1537) was a renowned Croatian scholar and humanist. She was highly respected for her knowledge of classical literature and her contributions to the intellectual discourse of the time.
In more recent history, Zhana Todorova (1906-1995) was a Bulgarian artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her unique style and innovative techniques. Her works are celebrated for their expressive and powerful representations of the human form.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Zhana. The name's Slavic roots and its association with concepts of life and vitality have contributed to its enduring popularity across the Balkan region and beyond.
People
Zhana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zhana 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
Zhana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zhana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 155 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zhana 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 2,211,318 US residents.
Is Zhana a common name?
We classify Zhana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 159 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zhana most popular?
The single biggest year for Zhana was 1994, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zhana is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zhana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 289 people with the name Zhana, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,250 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Zhana in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Zhana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zhana leans strongly female. 290 people counted with this name were female (96.0%), compared with 12 male bearers (4.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Zhana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zhana is Black at 42.9%. The next largest groups are White (42.2%) and Hispanic (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Zhana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Zhana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.9% (124 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Zhana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zhana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zhana 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 Zhana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zhana 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 Zhana 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.
How many people have the name Zhana?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.