Zeynep
Torn between Zeynep and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
precious jewel, ornamented olive tree (Turkish form of Zainab)
The story
Zeynep is the Turkish form of the Arabic Zainab, a name borne by both a daughter and a granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, traditionally connected either with a fragrant flowering tree or with the sense of an adorned, precious thing; our record keeps both images, precious jewel and ornamented olive tree. In Turkey the name is not merely popular but institutional: it has finished at or near the top of the national girls' list nearly every year since 2000. That gives Zeynep a standing for Turkish families like the one Maria long held in parts of Catholic Europe, the default that is still beloved. The US curve appears in the 1990s and firms up through the 2010s and 2020s alongside Turkish-American communities. Zeynep asks English speakers to learn one vowel sound and repays them with a name instantly at home in two languages.
How popular is Zeynep around the world?
In the United States, 663 babies were named Zeynep between 2020 and 2025. In Austria, 36 girls named Zeynep were born in 2025, the 171st most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
Zeynep is on the official records of the United States, Austria, France, Chile, Argentina, Mexico City, England and Wales, Ireland, Canada, Poland and Spain.
United States
1 in 33,000
In the United States, 663 babies were named Zeynep between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Zeynep peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Austria
1 in 2,100
In Austria, 36 girls named Zeynep were born in 2025, the 171st most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
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)
France
1 in 5,600
In France, about 115 girls named Zeynep were born in 2025, the 447th most common name 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)
Chile
1 in 8,500
In Chile, 21 girls were registered as Zeynep in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Argentina
1 in 9,200
In Argentina, 72 newborns were given the name Zeynep in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
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
Mexico City City
1 in 11,000
In Mexico City, there were 11 registrations of Zeynep in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
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 (1 registration through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
England and Wales
1 in 17,000
In England and Wales, 35 girls named Zeynep were born in 2025, the 983rd 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
Ireland
1 in 18,000
In Ireland, 3 girls named Zeynep were born in 2025, the 885th most common name among girls that year.
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
Canada
1 in 61,000
In Canada, 6 girls named Zeynep were born in 2024, ranked 3,027th 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)
Poland
1 in 82,000
In Poland, 3 girls named Zeynep were born in 2025, the 583rd most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 5 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)
Spain
1 in 330,000
In Spain, 136 residents are named Zeynep, ranked 6,094th among women, with a mean age of 23.2 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
Scotland
last on record 2021
Zeynep is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
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
South Australia
last on record 2004
Zeynep is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 1 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
Not on the record in Puerto Rico and New Zealand: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
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 Zeynep
Most people given the name Zeynep 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 Zeynep deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Zeynep 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 Zeynep fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Zeynep fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Zeynep to your family’s tree →