The exotic name Ziva first showed up in the U.S. baby name data during the 1960s:
- 1962: 9 baby girls named Ziva
- 1961: 8 baby girls named Ziva
- 1960: 6 baby girls named Ziva [debut]
- 1959: unlisted
- 1958: unlisted
What was the influence?
Israeli-born actress Ziva Rodann, who appeared in movies and on TV from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s.
Her movies included the The Story of Ruth* (1960) and The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960) with Mickey Rooney. In terms of television, she could be seen on episodes of shows like Bonanza, Have Gun – Will Travel, and Batman (on which she twice played the role of Nefertiti).
Her first name is a feminine form of the Hebrew name Ziv, which means “bright, radiant.”
The name dropped out of the data after that initial run, but returned in 2005 — the year the popular TV series NCIS introduced an Israeli character named Ziva David (played by Chilean actress Cote de Pablo†). Usage of the name increased quite a bit starting in 2009 — the year Ziva David was held captive in Somalia.
What are your thoughts on the baby name Ziva?
Sources: Ziva Rodann – IMDb, Ziv – Behind the Name
*The star of the movie was fellow Israeli actress Elana Eden, and the baby name Elana correspondingly saw an uptick in usage in 1960.
†Cote/Coté is a common Chilean nickname for María José.