Arizona
Feminine · “small spring”
Arizona is given to both — 3,542 girls and 153 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Arizona is probably from an O'odham phrase for a small spring, and the state's own historians have argued about it for a century.
How old is the name Arizona?
Arizona was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Arizona alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 2,400 people named Arizona are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Arizona most popular?
Arizona peaked in 1882, reaching #507 nationally. Today it ranks #2153, 1,646 places below that high. See the whole 1882 chart.
Where it comes from
From ali shonak to Arizona
The story of Arizona
A silver strike at a place called Arizonac in the 1730s gave the name currency, and it later covered the whole territory. The O'odham and Basque explanations have both been argued seriously; the Basque case rests on the many Basque settlers in colonial Sonora. Arizona appears as a given name in American records in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
small spring
The likeliest source is the O'odham ali shonak, 'small spring', through Spanish Arizonac. A Basque aritz ona, 'good oak', is also proposed and has real advocates. Neither is settled. The state took the name from a mining camp.
How the name formed
- ali shonak
- Arizonac
- Arizona
Related forms: Arizona · Ali Shonak
Pronouncing Arizona
air-ih-ZOH-nuh
Four syllables, stress on the third. Spanish says ah-ree-SOH-nah.
Nicknames for Arizona
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 2018139 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #507reached in 1882
- Change vs 2023
- −30.6%86 in 2025, from 124
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Arizona in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Arizona in Spanish — same name
- Ali Shonak in O'odham — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Arizona, Ohio.
Arizonas among us
people named Arizona are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 18,689 born in 2025 was named Arizona
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Arizona sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Arizona is headed
Arizona should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Arizona beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Arizona in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the state's own name is still disputed between two languages is a first-rate fact.
- Ari is available as a short form with a real record.
- Four syllables of open vowels, which carries unusually well.
- It is a state name and reads as one entirely.
- The origin is genuinely unsettled.
- Four syllables make it long for everyday use.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Arizona to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Arizona
Feminine · #2153 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Arizonas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,400 people named Arizona are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Arizona in 2025?
- Arizona ranks #2153 among US girl names in 2025, with 86 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Arizona?
- About 1 in every 18,689 US girls born in 2025 was named Arizona — 86 in all.
- Will my child share the name Arizona with classmates?
- Arizona will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Arizona
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Mayra#2153 · Malina#2153 · Ahana#2153 · Ailen#2153 · Jackie#2153 · Zofia#2153 · Harlynn#2153 · Keaton#2153
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Arizona? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Arizona and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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