Baby Names That Start With Z, Girls and Boys

Z is a lower-volume starting letter than most, so this page covers both girls and boys together rather than splitting into two thinner pages.

Z names for girls

Zoe (Greek, meaning life)
Zara (Arabic-linked, commonly read as meaning princess or blooming flower depending on the source language)
Zoey (a modern respelling of Zoe)
Zaley (used in some sources as meaning sea strength, though the exact etymology is less standardized than more established names)

Zane (Hebrew-linked variant of John, meaning God is gracious)
Zayden (a modern invented name, part of the broader “-ayden” naming trend)
Zed (English, a short form of Zedekiah, a Hebrew name meaning justice for Yahweh, also used simply as the British reading of the letter Z)
Zenon (Polish and Ancient Greek, a form of Zeno, ultimately tied to Zeus, meaning sky or shine)


Common origins	Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Polish
Common meaning themes	life, grace, the sky
Note	Zoe and Zane are both well established names, while several modern Z names like Zayden are recent inventions without a traditional root

What is the most popular baby name starting with Z?

Zoe has been a consistently used girls’ name for decades, while Zane and the modern name Zayden are both common current choices for boys.

Is Zed a real name or just a letter?

Both. Zed is the standard British and Commonwealth pronunciation of the letter Z, and it is also used as a short form of the Hebrew name Zedekiah.