Zenaida
Feminine · “of Zeus”
Zenaida is a Greek name built on Zeus, and it is also the scientific name of a whole genus of doves — a nineteenth-century naturalist named them for his wife.
How old is the name Zenaida?
Zenaida first appears in US birth records in 1913 — 112 years ago. The typical Zenaida alive today was born around 1990, making them about 35 years old. About 2,700 people named Zenaida are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zenaida most popular?
Zenaida peaked in 1974, reaching #1709 nationally. Today it ranks #3517, 1,808 places below that high. See the whole 1974 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Zenais to Zenaida
The story of Zenaida
Zenais was borne by an early Christian martyr honored in the Greek church, which carried the name into Orthodox use. Russian took it as Zinaida and Spanish as Zenaida. Separately a French naturalist working in America named a genus of doves after his wife Zénaïde, so the mourning dove and the white-winged dove both carry the name. It reaches American records with Puerto Rican and Dominican families above all.
Meaning
of Zeus
From Greek Zenais, a name formed on the genitive of Zeus; the same element opens Zenobia and Zenon. The dove genus Zenaida was named in the 1830s for the wife of an ornithologist, which is why the mourning dove carries a Greek name.
How the name formed
- Zenais
- Zenaida
Related forms: Zinaida · Zenais · Zénaïde
Pronouncing Zenaida
seh-NY-dah
Three syllables with the stress in the middle in Spanish. English speakers often say zeh-NAY-dah.
Nicknames for Zenaida
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
- 1913
- Most girls named
- 202376 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1709reached in 1974
- Change vs 2023
- −43.4%43 in 2025, from 76
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.
Zenaida in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Zinaida in Russian — same name
- Zenais in Greek — same name
- Zénaïde in French — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Arizona.
Zenaidas among us
people named Zenaida are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 37,378 born in 2025 was named Zenaida
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 Vickii test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Zenaida's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Vickii climbed just as high around 1948, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Vickii's path sketches the road Zenaida is walking now.
Zenaida 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 Zenaida is headed
Zenaida 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.
Zenaida beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zenaida in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a documented Greek origin and an unexpected ornithological afterlife.
- Zena is a complete short form that stands on its own.
- It begins with Z, which keeps it distinct on any list.
- The initial letter is said as an s in Spanish and a z in English.
- Zenaida, Zenaide and Zinaida are all used and relatives may prefer different ones.
- Naming a child for a Greek god is a large thing, though the name wears it lightly.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Zenaida
Feminine · #3517 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zenaidas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,700 people named Zenaida are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Zenaida in 2025?
- Zenaida ranks #3517 among US girl names in 2025, with 43 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zenaida?
- About 1 in every 37,378 US girls born in 2025 was named Zenaida — 43 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zenaida with classmates?
- Zenaida will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zenaida
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Maida#3517 · Amada#3517 · Afton#3517 · Allura#3517 · Jaina#3517 · Hallee#3517 · Katara#3517 · Joella#3517
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zenaida? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Zenaida and another name?
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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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