girl's name
Zela
- Gender Girl
- Letters 4
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 614
Zela is a girl's name. In 2025 it was given to 12 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 1916, when 21 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 276,319 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1889.
Zela over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 8 |
| 1890s | 44 |
| 1900s | 60 |
| 1910s | 142 |
| 1920s | 135 |
| 1930s | 57 |
| 1940s | 37 |
| 1950s | 5 |
| 2000s | 7 |
| 2010s | 57 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 57 |
How popular is Zela?
In 2025, Zela was given to 12 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Zela is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Zela
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Zela also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Zela over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Zela
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Zela — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Zela
How popular is the name Zela?
In 2025, Zela was given to 12 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Zela a girl's or a boy's name?
Zela is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Zela most popular?
Zela peaked in 1916, when 21 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Zela a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Zela currently ranks #8,844 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.