Zadie
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Meaning
origin uncertain, possibly a modern pet form linked to Sadie/Sarah; famously borne by Zadie Smith, British novelist known for White Teeth
The story
Zadie has a curious double life. Name scholars call its origin uncertain, most likely a pet form in the Sadie and Sarah family, and old American records agree it is no recent invention: Zadie shows up quietly from the 1890s through the 1950s before fading almost entirely at mid-century. Its revival has one obvious face. Zadie Smith was born Sadie Smith in London and changed the spelling herself at fourteen; a decade later White Teeth, her sprawling, exuberant debut, made her one of the most celebrated novelists of her generation. The name began creeping back into US records in the 1990s and has had its strongest run in the 2010s and 2020s, right as her books stacked up. We cannot prove she is the cause, but the timing is hard to ignore. Zadie now feels vintage and current at once.
How popular is Zadie around the world?
In the United States, 778 babies were named Zadie between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 2 girls were registered as Zadie in 2017.
Zadie is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, Scotland, England and Wales and Canada.
United States
1 in 28,000
In the United States, 778 babies were named Zadie between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Zadie peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
South Australia
1 in 9,2002017
In South Australia, 2 girls were registered as Zadie in 2017.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Scotland
1 in 15,000
In Scotland, 3 girls named Zadie were registered in 2024, the 790th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
England and Wales
1 in 15,000
In England and Wales, 38 girls named Zadie were born in 2025, the 922nd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Canada
1 in 37,000
In Canada, 10 girls named Zadie were born in 2024, ranked 2,104th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Austria
last on record 2024
Zadie is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Ireland
last on record 2023
Zadie is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
New Zealand
last on record 2020
Zadie is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Zadie
Most people given the name Zadie in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Zadie deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Zadie truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Zadie fits with your family’s names and surname.
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