Zion
Masculine · Hebrew roots · “the hill of Jerusalem”
Zion is given to both — 46,871 boys and 7,026 girls since 1880. See Zion as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Zion is the name of a hill in Jerusalem — the fortified height David is said to have taken — and from that one ridge it became a word for the whole city, then for a promised home anywhere. It traveled through the Greek and Latin Bibles into English, was sung in hymns, carried into Rastafari song, and given by Latter-day Saint settlers to the Utah canyon that is now a national park. Two syllables, an opening Z, and no one has to ask how to spell it.
How old is the name Zion?
Zion first appears in US birth records in 1917 — 108 years ago. The typical Zion is a kid of about 8 — this name's wave is very recent. About 46,500 people named Zion are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zion most popular?
Zion peaked in 2023, reaching #125 nationally. Today it ranks #142, 17 places below that high. See the whole 2023 chart.
Where it comes from
From Tsiyyon (Hebrew) to Zion
The story of Zion
The Hebrew Tsiyyon appears throughout the Hebrew Bible, first as the fortified hill of Jerusalem and then as shorthand for the city, the temple mount, and the people gathered there. Greek translators rendered it Sion, Latin kept that form, and English Bibles settled on Zion with the Z. From there it spread far past scripture: into eighteenth-century English hymnody, into African American spirituals and gospel where Zion meant the promised land at the end of a long road, into Ethiopian Christian tradition as Tsion, and into Rastafari usage as the home opposite Babylon. Nineteenth-century Mormon settlers in Utah gave the name to a red-rock canyon, which is why many Americans meet the word first as a place to hike.
Meaningscholars disagree
the hill of Jerusalem; read as 'citadel' or 'highest point'
That Zion names the hill in Jerusalem is not in dispute. The older etymology behind the place name is: scholars have proposed a root meaning 'citadel' or 'stronghold', another giving 'highest point' or 'raised up', and a third pointing to 'dry, parched place'. None has won out.
Cultural footprint
Zion Williamson (b. 2000) — Explosive NBA star
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- TsiyyonHebrew
- SionGreek
- SionLatin
- ZionEnglish
Related forms: Tzion · Tsion · Sion · Sión · Sion · Sion
Pronouncing Zion
ZY-un
Standard American English is ZY-un, two syllables. The Hebrew original is closer to tsee-OHN, with the stress at the end, and Ethiopian Tsion follows that pattern.
Nicknames for Zion
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
- 1917
- Most boys named
- 20232,889 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #125reached in 2023
- Change vs 2024
- +5.4%2,496 in 2025, from 2,369
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.
Zion in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Tzion in Hebrew — transliteration
- Tsion in Amharic — related form
- Sion in Greek — same name
- Sión in Spanish — spelling variant
- Sion in French — spelling variant
- Sion in Russian — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Zions among us
people named Zion are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 684 born in 2025 was named Zion
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Zion
- #142
- Zion on the 2025 chart
- #129
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Zion went to 2,496 boys in 2025, but Zyon, Zyion and Ziyon are the same name said out loud. Together the 5 spellings went to 2,830, which makes it the 129th most-given boys’ name of the year — 13 places above the chart.
and 1 rarer spelling.
About 1 boy in 604 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 684 for Zion itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Peyton test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Zion's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Peyton climbed just as high around 2007, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Peyton's path sketches the road Zion is walking now.
Zion 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 Zion is headed
Zion should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High 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.
Zion beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zion in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A spelling almost everyone already knows from the Bible or the national park, so it rarely needs repeating or correcting.
- Short and clear out loud — two syllables, stress on the first, no silent letters.
- Documented for close to three thousand years as a place name, and on American birth records for over a century.
- Recognized in Hebrew, Greek, Amharic and Spanish traditions, which helps in multilingual families.
- Widely known without being crowded — a child named Zion is unlikely to share a classroom with another.
- The name carries real religious and political weight. Zion is scripture and hymn to many, and the root of the word Zionism to others, which means it can pick up associations in conversation that have nothing to do with your child.
- Its American wave is recent, so most people carrying it now are young. The name will read as contemporary rather than inherited for some time yet.
- It is given to girls in smaller numbers in the US, and Tsion is a woman's name in Ethiopian usage, so occasional assumptions in either direction are possible.
- Expect the Utah canyon to come up. It is a friendly association, but it comes up often.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Zion
Masculine · Hebrew roots · #142 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zions are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 46,500 people named Zion are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Zion?
- Zion is the most-used spelling in US records — 2,496 of the 2,830 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Zyon, Zyion and Ziyon.
- How popular is the name Zion in 2025?
- Zion ranks #142 among US boy names in 2025, with 2,496 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zion?
- About 1 in every 684 US boys born in 2025 was named Zion — 2,496 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zion with classmates?
- Zion will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zion
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Dawson#143 · Beckett#141 · Luis#144 · Nathaniel#140 · Charlie#145 · Declan#139 · Leon#138 · Matteo#146
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zion? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Zion and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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