Zada
Feminine · “fortunate”
Zada was a genuinely popular American name in the 1880s, and it has more than one plausible parent and no settled one.
How old is the name Zada?
Zada was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Zada alive today was born around 1993, making them about 32 years old. About 1,700 people named Zada are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zada most popular?
Zada peaked in 1880, reaching #466 nationally. Today it ranks #4661, 4,195 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Zada
Ours, offered as ours. American naming in the 1880s produced a whole layer of short, bright, vowel-heavy girls' names — Zada, Zora, Ada, Ora, Vada, Neva — most of them without documented origins. They rose fast, held for a generation and disappeared almost completely by 1930. Whatever produced them was a fashion in sound rather than a borrowing, and the names are real regardless of what the dictionaries can prove.
Meaningscholars disagree
fortunate; or prosperous
Readings offered include Arabic ziyada, increase or abundance, and Hebrew sources. It also appears as a nineteenth-century American respelling of Zaida or a clipping of a longer name. None is established.
Pronouncing Zada
ZAY-duh
Two syllables, first stressed. Some families say ZAH-dah.
Nicknames for Zada
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
- 200696 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #466reached in 1880
- Change vs 2023
- 0.0%29 in 2025, from 29
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.
Zada in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Zaida in English — related form
- Zayda in Arabic — related form
Zadas among us
people named Zada are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 55,423 born in 2025 was named Zada
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
Zada 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 Zada is headed
Zada is easing off slowly — about 31% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Zada beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zada in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters and two syllables, about as easy to write as a name gets.
- The initial Z keeps it distinct on any list.
- Genuine and substantial nineteenth-century American use behind it.
- The first vowel is unsettled between ZAY and ZAH.
- There is no documented meaning.
- Zayde is a Yiddish word for a grandfather and sounds close.
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What they receive
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Zada
Feminine · #4661 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zadas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Zada are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Zada in 2025?
- Zada ranks #4661 among US girl names in 2025, with 29 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zada?
- About 1 in every 55,423 US girls born in 2025 was named Zada — 29 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zada with classmates?
- Zada will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zada
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Roselie#4661 · Marni#4661 · Menucha#4661 · Infinity#4661 · Lilya#4661 · Railyn#4661 · Jaiya#4661 · Ellenor#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zada? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Zada 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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