girl's name
Zélie
zay-LEE
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (France)
- Births on record 18,849
France
#96
2025 births
Zélie is a girl's name of French origin, a short form of Azélie, and belongs to Saint Zélie Martin, the mother of Thérèse of Lisieux, canonised in 2015. It ranks ninety-sixth in France and is rising.
- Zélie is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 2021, when 820 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,102 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Zélie over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 1,255 |
| 1910s | 605 |
| 1920s | 370 |
| 1930s | 130 |
| 1940s | 40 |
| 1950s | 20 |
| 1960s | 15 |
| 1970s | 30 |
| 1980s | 150 |
| 1990s | 490 |
| 2000s | 3,015 |
| 2010s | 7,250 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,990 |
What Zélie means
Zélie is usually glossed as solemn or dedicated, through Azélie and the Latin Caelia, though the derivation is not firm. Some sources give dry earth, from a different Latin root, and the two cannot be reconciled.
Where Zélie comes from
Zélie clips Azélie, itself of uncertain origin: it is variously derived from the Latin Caelia, a Roman gens name connected with heaven, and from a word for dry earth. Its modern currency rests almost entirely on Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin, known as Zélie, a lacemaker of Alençon who with her husband Louis was canonised in 2015 — the first married couple canonised together — and who was the mother of Thérèse of Lisieux. The name's rise in France tracks the beatification in 2008 and canonisation closely, which makes it one of the clearest examples in our data of a religious event moving a name.
Zélie in use
Zélie ranks ninety-sixth in France with about 540 births in 2025 and its peak in our records is 2021, a few years after the 2015 canonisation. The unaccented Zelie appears in the United States at 1,698 and in Ireland beyond 750. Our data carries the name from 1900, so the recent rise is a revival of a name that had nearly vanished rather than a new arrival.
How popular is Zélie?
In 2025, Zélie was given to 535 babies in France, ranking #96 that year. It is one of the most popular names in France.
Where Zélie is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Zélie is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Zelie | Zelie is a spelling of Zélie, used in the United States, where it ranks #1,698. | 8,720 |
| Zèlie | Zèlie is a rare spelling of Zélie, written with a grave accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Zélie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Zélie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Zélie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Zélie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- French
- Azélie
Sibling names for Zélie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Zélie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Zélie
What does the name Zélie mean?
Usually "solemn" or "dedicated," through Azélie, though the derivation is not firm.
Who was Saint Zélie Martin?
The mother of Thérèse of Lisieux, canonised with her husband in 2015 — the first married couple canonised together.
Why is Zélie rising?
Its rise tracks the 2008 beatification and 2015 canonisation of Zélie Martin closely.
How do you pronounce Zélie?
zay-LEE, two syllables.
Is Zélie a girl's or a boy's name?
Zélie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Zélie most popular?
Zélie peaked in 2021, when 820 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Zélie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Zélie currently ranks #96 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.