Zelie
Feminine
Zélie is the French short form of Azélie, and it belongs to a saint canonized in 2015 — the first married couple ever canonized together, and the parents of Thérèse of Lisieux.
How old is the name Zelie?
Zelie first appears in US birth records in 2002 — 23 years ago. The typical Zelie is a kid of about 5 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,300 people named Zelie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zelie most popular?
Zelie peaked in 2021, reaching #1491 nationally. Today it ranks #1692, 201 places below that high. See the whole 2021 chart.
Where it comes from
From Azélie to Zelie
The story of Zelie
Zélie Martin was a lacemaker in Alençon who bore nine children, four of whom died young, and died of breast cancer in 1877; her youngest daughter became Thérèse of Lisieux. Zélie and her husband Louis were canonized together in 2015, the first married couple to be. The name appears in American records and is in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not established
Through Azélie, a French name of uncertain origin — possibly from the Hebrew Azaliah, 'the Lord has reserved', or from the Latin. A second reading connects Zélie to the French zèle, 'zeal'. Neither is established, and honest sources record the origin as unsettled.
How the name formed
- Azélie
- Zélie
Related forms: Zélie · Azélie · Zeli
Pronouncing Zelie
ZAY-lee
Two syllables, stress on the first. French Zélie places the accent on the first vowel and says it the same way.
Nicknames for Zelie
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
- 2002
- Most girls named
- 2021142 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1491reached in 2021
- Change vs 2024
- +9.0%121 in 2025, from 111
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.
Zelie in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Zélie in French — same name
- Azélie in French — related form
- Zeli in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Ohio.
Zelies among us
people named Zelie are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 13,283 born in 2025 was named Zelie
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lindley test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Zelie's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lindley climbed just as high around 1988, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lindley's path sketches the road Zelie is walking now.
Zelie 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 Zelie is headed
Zelie 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.
Zelie beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zelie in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A saint with a genuinely moving and fully documented life stands behind it.
- The first married couple canonized together is a real historical first.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- The meaning is genuinely unsettled, and honest sources say so.
- The French accent is routinely dropped in American records.
- Zoe and Zelda are close enough in sound to cause confusion.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Zelie
Feminine · #1692 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zelies are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,300 people named Zelie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Zelie in 2025?
- Zelie ranks #1692 among US girl names in 2025, with 121 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zelie?
- About 1 in every 13,283 US girls born in 2025 was named Zelie — 121 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zelie with classmates?
- Zelie will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zelie
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Marielle#1692 · Jaelynn#1692 · Hadassa#1692 · Yasmeen#1692 · Alaiah#1692 · Tahlia#1692 · Laynee#1692 · Azula#1692
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zelie? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Zelie and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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