Zelda
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Meaning
possibly a feminine form of the Yiddish Zelig, 'blessed, happy', or a short form of Griselda
One Zelda, two histories
Yiddish · possibly a feminine form of the Yiddish Zelig, 'blessed, happy', or a short form of Griselda.
Griselda · Zelda is also an established short form of Griselda.
The story
Zelda is possibly a feminine form of Zelig, the Yiddish name meaning "blessed, happy", a vernacular form of Asher, and Behind the Name's second entry for it adds a different road: a short form of Griselda. The American record gave it a first life early: about 1,850 girls in the 1910s and about 2,380 in the 1920s, within the lifetime of the socialite Zelda Fitzgerald, then a long fade to about 140 in the 1990s. The second life has a receipt of its own: the princess of the Legend of Zelda games, debuting in 1986, was named by her creator Shigeru Miyamoto after Fitzgerald herself. The record's return came later: about 2,890 girls in the 2010s and about 2,560 so far this decade. A name that came back carrying a tribute to the woman from its first run.
How popular is Zelda around the world?
In the United States, 2,561 babies were named Zelda between 2020 and 2025.
Zelda is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, Scotland, England and Wales, Canada, Mexico City, France, Austria, Poland, Brazil and Spain.
United States
1 in 8,500
In the United States, 2,561 babies were named Zelda between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Zelda 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 Zelda in 2017.
The count never rose above 3 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 11,000
In Scotland, 4 girls named Zelda were registered in 2024, the 638th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 4 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 Zelda 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 22,000
In Canada, 17 girls named Zelda were born in 2024, ranked 1,399th 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)
Mexico City City
1 in 24,000
In Mexico City, there were 5 registrations of Zelda in 2022.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
France
1 in 32,000
In France, about 20 girls named Zelda were born in 2025, ranked 1,554th among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Austria
1 in 38,000
In Austria, 2 girls named Zelda were born in 2025, ranked 1,305th among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 4 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)
Poland
1 in 120,000
In Poland, 2 girls named Zelda were born in 2025, the 706th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
Brazil
1 in 330,000
At the 2022 census, 518 people in Brazil were named Zelda, ranked 13,050th, with a median age of 59.
Among people named Zelda living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1960s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Spain
1 in 1,000,000
In Spain, 45 residents are named Zelda, ranked 15,474th among women, with a mean age of 9.7 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Argentina
last on record 2023
Zelda is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Ireland
last on record 2022
Zelda is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 5 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 1933
Zelda 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 Puerto Rico: that registry withholds small counts, so rare uses may sit below its floor.
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 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 Zelda
People given the name Zelda in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 2025. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Where Zelda travels
Jewish American · A Jewish American heirloom name closely associated with writer Zelda Fitzgerald.
Keep exploring
The Zelda deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Zelda 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 Zelda fits with your family’s names and surname.
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