How popular is the baby name Zena in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Zena.

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Popularity of the baby name Zena


Posts that mention the name Zena

Baby names with ZEN: Zenaida, Azeneth, Hazen

zen garden

Looking for baby names that contain the word ZEN?

If so, here’s a long list of enlightened options to choose from!

Top baby names with ZEN

First, a quick rundown of the most popular names with the letter sequence “z-e-n,” according to the current U.S. baby name data.

Top girl names with “z-e-n”Top boy names with “z-e-n”
Zendaya
Azeneth
Zena
Zen
Zenaida
Zenovia
Zenobia
Zeniyah
Zenith
Chozen
Kaizen
Zen
Aizen
Chozen
Kyzen
Hazen
Kaiyzen
Zenith
Mazen
Zeno

Now here are the same names again, this time with links to popularity graphs and, in some cases, explanations/definitions. (Many of these are modern names without a distinct origin, so I can’t add as much extra information as I did in similar posts, e.g., VAN, ICE, CAR.)

  • Aizen
  • Azeneth is likely based on Asenath, a feminine Biblical name derived from an ancient Egyptian name meaning “belonging to (the goddess) Neith.”
  • Chozen is based on the vocabulary word chosen.
  • Hazen comes from the Dutch surname Hazen, which was based on the Middle Dutch word hase, meaning “hare.”
  • Kaizen, Kaiyzen
  • Kyzen
  • Mazen
  • Zen comes from the vocabulary word zen, which (in English) often refers to enlightenment. The word is ultimately based upon the Sanskrit word dhyana, meaning “meditation.”
  • Zena
  • Zenaida is derived from the ancient Greek name Zenais, which is based on the name of the god Zeus.
  • Zendaya
  • Zenith comes from the vocabulary word zenith, meaning “highest point” or “peak.”
  • Zeniyah
  • Zeno is derived from the ancient Greek name Zenon, which is also based on Zeus.
  • Zenobia and Zenovia are forms of an ancient Greek name meaning “life of Zeus.”

More names with ZEN

So, what other names have ZEN in them? Here are some less-common choices. (Nearly all of these come directly from the SSA’s baby name data.)

  • Azen, Ayzen
  • Alzena
  • Alzenia
  • Amazen
  • Asuzena, Azuzena
  • Autzen
    • Used mostly in the state of Oregon. The University of Oregon’s football team plays in Autzen Stadium, which was named after Danish-American lumberman/philanthropist Thomas J. Autzen.
  • Azena
  • Azende
  • Azenet
  • Blazen
  • Blazena
  • Bozena
  • Brazen, Brayzen
  • Caizen
  • Chayzen
  • Drazen
  • Drazenka
  • Dzenan
  • Dzeneta
  • Dzenita
  • Eizen
  • Eizens
  • Elzena
  • Haizen, Hayzen
  • Izen
  • Izena
  • Jakzenny
  • Jantzen
  • Janzen
  • Jaxzen
  • Jazen, Jayzen, Jaizen
  • Jentezen
  • Jentzen
  • Jenzen
  • Jezenia
  • Kazen, Kayzen
  • Kreszentia
  • Kreszenz
  • Khyzen, Khaizen
  • Lozen
  • Luzena
  • Marzena
  • Maizen
  • Nazenin
  • Ozena
  • Roczen
  • Rozen
  • Rozena, Rosezena
  • Rozenia
  • Ruzena
  • Ryzen
  • Suzen
  • Tamzen
  • Tayzen
  • Tyzen
  • Vinzent
  • Vinzenz
  • Yazen
  • Yezen
  • Yezenia
  • Zenab
  • Zenae
  • Zenah
  • Zenai
  • Zenaide
  • Zenaido
  • Zenais
  • Zenani
  • Zenas
  • Zenaura
  • Zenaya, Zenayah, Zenaiya
  • Zenayda
  • Zenda
  • Zendayah, Zendaiya
  • Zende
  • Zendell
  • Zenden
  • Zender
  • Zendeya
  • Zendiya
  • Zendra
  • Zendre
  • Zendy
  • Zene
  • Zeneida
  • Zenen
  • Zeneth
  • Zenetta
  • Zeni, Zeny, Zennie, Zenni
  • Zenia, Zeniah, Zennia
  • Zenida
  • Zenita
  • Zeniya, Zenniyah
  • Zenja
  • Zenley
  • Zenna
  • Zenoba
  • Zenobios
  • Zenola
  • Zenolia
  • Zenon, Zennon
  • Zenona
  • Zenora, Zenorah
  • Zenos
  • Zennith
  • Zentavious
  • Zenus
  • Zenya
  • Zenzele
  • Zenzile

Several of the above are non-traditional spellings of more common names, such as Susan and Yesenia.

Which ZEN name do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Sand Garden at Tofukuji Temple by Takashi Tomooka under CC BY-SA 2.0.

What gave the baby name Brittania a boost in 1980?

Brittania advertisement

In 1979 and 1980, four very similar girl names — Brittania, Brittanya, Britania and Britanya — all popped up in the U.S. baby name data:

BrittaniaBrittanyaBritaniaBritanya
198313...
1982136..
1981357910
198060†19*13*16*
19795*...
1978....
1977....
*Debut, †Peak usage

What put them there?

A marketing campaign for Brittania blue jeans.

Sportswear brand Brittania (pronounced brih-TAN-yah) was launched in Seattle in 1973 by businessman Walter Schoenfeld.

He was inspired to start selling “washed” blue jeans to Americans after spotting “a pair of faded blue denim slacks in the window of a London shop.” (Brittania jeans were “fashionable alternatives to the dark denim Levi’s that were so prevalent at that time.”)

Sales of Britannia jeans increased throughout the 1970s:

In [fewer] than 10 years, Brittania Sportswear was selling 30 million pairs a year and Brittania — Schoenfeld spelled it that way to distinguish his brand from the Royal Yacht Britannia — had a team of 40 to 50 designers and about 400 employees in Seattle.

Then, in 1980, Schoenfeld made a “decision which ran against his better judgment: Brittania embarked on the first full-scale advertising campaign in its history.”

Brittania advertisement, 1981
“My home is Texas but I live in Brittania!”

That year, the company spent about $9 million on advertising. The result was the “My home is __ but I live in Brittania” marketing campaign.

The campaign was very successful; brand recognition increased from 48% in 1978 to 96% in 1980.

But it also created a new problem: too much demand for the product. By the spring of 1980, the company “had a 50 percent increase in orders over the previous year, but lacked production capacity to fill them.”

This situation, along with several other issues, led the company to file for bankruptcy protection in 1983. Several years after that, it was purchased by Levi Strauss.

Brittania advertisement

Brittania may not be around anymore, but, as the very first designer jeans company in the U.S., it paved the way for brands like Jordache, Chardon, and Zena.

It also helped kick the baby name Brittany into high gear circa 1980:

  • 1983: 4,377 baby girls named Brittany [64th]
  • 1982: 3,102 baby girls named Brittany [94th]
  • 1981: 1,714 baby girls named Brittany [165th]
  • 1980: 1,406 baby girls named Brittany [190th]
  • 1979: 792 baby girls named Brittany [300th]
  • 1978: 630 baby girls named Brittany [345th]
  • 1977: 488 baby girls named Brittany [419th]

Here’s a visual:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Brittany in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Brittany

What are your thoughts on the baby name Brittania? (Do you like it more or less than Brittany?)

P.S. Did you know that Seattle’s apparel industry was born in the wake of the Klondike gold rush? Many prospectors bought provisions in Seattle before heading north to Alaska. Apparel companies founded in Seattle include Filson (1897), Nordstrom (1901), and Eddie Bauer (1920).

Sources:

Numerology: Baby names with a value of 1

Baby names with a numerological value of 1

If you’re on the hunt for baby names with a numerological value of 1, you’re in luck! Because today’s post features hundreds of 1-names.

Before we get to the names, though — how do we know that they’re “ones” in numerology?

Turning names into numbers

Here’s how to calculate the numerological value of a name.

First, for each letter, come up with a number to represent that letter’s position in the alphabet. (Letter A would be number 1, letter B would be number 2, and so forth.) Then, add all the numbers together. If the sum has two or more digits, add the digits together recursively until the result is a single digit. That single digit is the name’s numerological value.

For instance, the letters in the name Taylor correspond to the numbers 20, 1, 25, 12, 15, and 18. The sum of these numbers is 91. The digits of 91 added together equal 10, and the digits of 10 added together equal 1 — the numerological value of Taylor.

Baby names with a value of 1

Below you’ll find the most popular 1-names per gender, according to the latest U.S. baby name data. I’ve further sub-categorized them by total sums — just in case any of those larger numbers are significant to anyone.

1 via 10

The letters in the following baby names add up to 10, which reduces to one (1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 10)Boy name (1 via 10)
Eda, Dea, Ebba, Adda, AdeAde

1 via 19

The letters in the following baby names add up to 19, which reduces to one (1+9=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 19)Boy names (1 via 19)
Mae, Ema, Abbie, Alea, AelaAdam, Jace, Dan, Jed, Jah

1 via 28

The letters in the following baby names add up to 28, which reduces to one (2+8=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 28)Boy names (1 via 28)
Eva, Eden, Lana, Ari, Adalee, Dani, Andi, Nala, Vada, Aleia, Dina, Ira, Jael, Adalia, Ria, Ciana, FiadhAlan, Ari, Eden, Mack, Case, Ira, Ash, Jael, Deen, Adin, Cy, Om

1 via 37

The letters in the following baby names add up to 37, which reduces to one (3+7=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 37)Boy names (1 via 37)
Elena, Cora, Alina, Alani, Rebecca, Liana, Kate, Ariah, Faye, Amalia, Mina, India, Elsa, Leena, Kya, Elara, Isha, Aiza, Naila, Iman, Jaleah, Legaci, Nami, Anali, Shai, Alanah, Baker, Laina, Ilana, Ren, Jaya, Luca, Manha, Kobi, Adelaida, Aleen, Gabby, Aveah, BlimaLuca, Baker, Axl, Van, Coen, Shai, Jamal, Ren, Azai, Shia, Nick, Niam, Eiden, Amin, Ajay, Iman, Naim, Kobi, Brice, Enoc, Maceo, Alain, Buck, Abhay

1 via 46

The letters in the following baby names add up to 46, which reduces to one (4+6=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 46)Boy names (1 via 46)
Gianna, Zoe, Hannah, Maeve, Lucia, Reagan, Zara, Vera, Adaline, Daniela, Raegan, Aitana, Adelina, Azalea, Elisa, Ailani, Elaine, Imani, Edith, Dayana, Katie, Marie, Dior, Erin, Aileen, Sol, Iliana, Lacey, Salma, Araya, Etta, Aminah, Agnes, Colbie, Aarya, Noel, Ariela, Carina, Navi, Isela, Jamila, Cienna, Lenna, Lula, Melek, Arlo, Zena, Dove, Avalee, Sabina, Malena, Tate, Analiah, Ily, Lainee, Adleigh, Raelee, Azra, Kiya, Reva, Meira, Avni, Anvi, Orla, Randi, Cairo, FabiolaElias, Juan, Leon, Ivan, Arlo, Tate, Zane, Damien, Cairo, Erick, Cesar, Malik, Pablo, Noel, Blaze, Dior, Alfred, Damari, Mekhi, Decker, Bobby, Dereck, Link, Elon, Azaiah, Isael, Sol, Ender, Reagan, Isiah, Ammar, Jahir, Boyd, Jacobo, Sir, Ciaran, Lando, Hero, Demian, Devan, Asiel, Locke, Branch, Dandre, Jaheim, Neev, Pete, Ward, Emari, Jedediah, Deluca, Kayde, Imani, Navi, Esau, Rehan

1 via 55

The letters in the following baby names add up to 55, which reduces to one (5+5=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 55)Boy names (1 via 55)
Iris, Nevaeh, Hadley, Freya, Aspen, Camille, Joanna, Gabriela, Heaven, Mariam, Emerie, Leyla, Kyra, Sky, Monica, Zaria, Averi, Lexie, Kamilah, Neriah, Jewel, Zahara, Zoie, Zaira, Neveah, Azari, Asiya, Joey, Melania, Kapri, Linnea, Romi, Breanna, Lois, Aviva, Arlene, Maven, Samadhi, Marin, Cindy, Izabel, Maelani, Iylah, Lumi, Liora, Junia, Jayne, Miabella, Shira, Joella, Analaya, Grey, Kaiyah, Liyah, Nashla, LilliaJett, Edward, Jorge, Edwin, Grady, Conrad, Davis, Grey, Kellan, Joey, Vihaan, Imran, Aspen, Aizen, Danilo, Kody, Ralph, Malakhi, Krue, Kallen, Rogan, Ezio, Aariz, Sky, Azari, Holt, Miran, Armin, Edmond, Zaine, Maddix, Jaziah, Jaydan, Caelum, Mohamad, Josef, Namir, Haris, Jariel, Kadyn, Mikail, Blaize, Cloud, Kanon, Tafari, Amadou, Saleem

1 via 64

The letters in the following baby names add up to 64, which reduces to one (6+4=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 64)Boy names (1 via 64)
Emily, Piper, Tessa, Makayla, Sabrina, Frankie, Azariah, Arleth, Mavis, Miley, Mercy, Natasha, Emiliana, Zyla, True, Jubilee, Campbell, Moriah, Emmarie, Iyanna, Zion, Cirilla, Abrielle, Angely, Evalina, Lucinda, Lindy, Marbella, Carley, Loren, Chosen, Posie, Marlena, Cailyn, Yohana, Catalaya, Israel, MayteJaxon, Zion, Knox, Brody, Peter, Israel, Lukas, Ronald, Arjun, Roland, Azariah, Kyree, Yehuda, Avyaan, Titan, Chosen, Campbell, Frankie, Lucien, True, Avraham, Draven, Oskar, Anton, Barry, Arnold, Evren, Kaidyn, Levy, Zohan, Jaquan, Klaus, Vander, Arvin, Camron, Ryu, Kyair, Amadeus, Bryar, Lavon, Marcell, Safwan, Loren, Riggin, Jakoby, Nikita, Amenadiel, Bradyn, Bruin, Ayoub, Deontae, Kendric, Milano, Keyden

1 via 73

The letters in the following baby names add up to 73, which reduces to one (7+3=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 73)Boy names (1 via 73)
Kaylani, Brynn, Carolina, Calliope, Jazmin, Marleigh, Elliot, Baylor, Karter, Bexley, Egypt, Nataly, Kailany, Patience, Lesly, Yuri, Zinnia, Serafina, Elinor, Jurnee, Kayleen, Dottie, Rhylee, Devorah, Ridley, Lynlee, Roxana, Susie, Kyomi, Mirabella, Stacey, ZaylahJackson, Joseph, Ezekiel, Elliot, Nicolas, Karter, Sergio, Baylor, Colter, Sincere, Jayceon, Hezekiah, Alberto, Ambrose, Jiraiya, Kelvin, Gordon, Stone, Marlon, Dhruv, Josias, Bronx, Vaughn, Harris, Giannis, Gilbert, Clifford, Kyren, Tyree, Kymani, Uziel, Lazaro, Zavian, Yuri, Egypt, Ridley, Kairos, Xayden, Jaxsen, Devansh, Antwan, Antoni, Eythan, Cruze, Dmitri, Zuko, Saxon, Ripken, Vedansh, Astro, Kingdom, Tidus, Weldon

1 via 82

The letters in the following baby names add up to 82, which reduces to one (8+2=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 82)Boy names (1 via 82)
Allison, Julianna, Kamryn, Meredith, Wrenlee, Zhuri, Kaisley, Clarissa, Lizbeth, Arisbeth, Addyson, Kiyomi, Jersey, Kaelynn, Letty, Sunnie, Marlow, Blakelyn, Lillith, Perry, Kinzlee, Maverick, Arianny, Eowyn, Yasmeen, Charlize, Yasmina, Minerva, Harlowe, Karmyn, Zaliyah, Rosanna, Hendrix, Kynnedi, Maddilyn, Sonora, ReverieMaverick, Zachary, Hendrix, Phillip, Thaddeus, Mitchell, Kartier, Alfonso, Kamryn, Crosby, Dimitri, Kross, Shlomo, Perry, Kamarion, Quest, Jersey, Zenith, Jayvian, Marlow, Sholom, Yannis

1 via 91

The letters in the following baby names add up to 91, which reduces to one (9+1=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 91)Boy names (1 via 91)
Everleigh, Katherine, Taylor, Sawyer, Payton, Phoenix, Braelynn, Kensley, Liberty, Loretta, Angelique, Scottie, Lauryn, Julissa, Seraphina, Xochitl, Roxanne, Zeynep, Kynslee, Daenerys, Madyson, Yehudis, Taelynn, Mariajose, Lovely, Olympia, Kynleigh, Brexley, HudsynGiovanni, Sawyer, Phoenix, Matthias, Johnathan, Cassius, Taylor, Yousef, Agustin, Zymir, Payton, Uzziah, Hussain, Hudsyn, Rivers, Nestor, Zuriel, Kaiyzen, Leyton, Patricio, Siddharth, Witten, Llewyn, Scottie, Zyheir, Chozyn

1 via 100

The letters in the following baby names add up to 100, which reduces to one (1+0+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 100)Boy names (1 via 100)
Presley, Vivienne, Clementine, Brynleigh, Taytum, Austyn, Yaritza, Joselyn, Paulette, Jordynn, Temperance, Wednesday, Collyns, Henrietta, LillyannaMaximus, Ezequiel, Quentin, Presley, Zaxton, Everette, Shivansh, Yunus, Quinten, Ignatius, Austyn, Avyukt, Taytum, Heriberto

1 via 109

The letters in the following baby names add up to 109, which reduces to one (1+0+9=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 109)Boy names (1 via 109)
Sutton, Brittany, Raylynn, Zipporah, Sunshine, Hennessy, JoslynnKingston, Sutton, Westley, Rigoberto, Khristian, Tristin, Rayshawn

1 via 118

The letters in the following baby names add up to 118, which reduces to one (1+1+8=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 118)Boy names (1 via 118)
Rosalynn, Shaylynn, Westlyn, Sharlotte, KynzleyDemitrius, Anastasios, Barrington, Jatavious, Quinntin

1 via 127

The letters in the following baby names add up to 127, which reduces to one (1+2+7=10; 1+0=1).

Girl names (1 via 127)Boy names (1 via 127)
Quetzaly, Karrington, Lillyrose, Rosselyn, RoselynneStratton, Odysseus, Maksymilian, Muhammadumar, Chukwuebuka

Number 1: Significance and associations

What does the number one mean in numerology?

There’s no definitive answer, unfortunately, because various numerological systems exist, and each one has its own interpretation of the number one. That said, if we look at a couple of modern numerology/astrology websites, we see 1 being described as “leader,” “independent,” “determined,” “creative,” and “self-assured.”

We can also look at associations, which are a bit more concrete. Here are a few things that are associated with the number 1:

  • Unity
  • Uniqueness
  • First place (as in sports)
  • Unicorn
  • Monolith

I kept the list short because you can associate the number 1 with just about anything. It’s universal, you might say. (See what I did there?)

What does the number 1 mean to you? What are your strongest associations with the number?

P.S. To see names with other numerological values, check out the posts for the numbers two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.

Sources: SSA, Numerology – Cafe Astrology, The meaning of the numbers 1 – 9 – World Numerology, 1 – Wikipedia

[Latest update: Jan. 2024]

Gaiety Girl names: Gertie, Gaby, Ellaline

English actress Lily Elsie (1886-1962)
Lily Elsie

Before there were Follies girls, there were Gaiety Girls.

The Gaiety Girls were showgirls who appeared in Edwardian musical comedies at London’s Gaiety Theatre during the 1890s.

English actress Gabrielle Ray (1883-1973)
Gabrielle Ray

There’s no definitive list of all the Gaiety Girls, but here are the stage names (and birth names) of several dozen of them:

Stage NameBirth Name
Alice DelysiaAlice Lapize
Billie CarletonFlorence Stewart
Blanche MasseyBlanch Massey
Camille CliffordCamilla Clifford
Cicely CourtneidgeEsmerelda Cicely Courtneidge
Connie GilchristConstance Gilchrist
Constance CollierLaura Constance Hardie
Denise OrmeJessie Smither
Dorothy MintoDorothy Scott
Eleanor “Nellie” SourayEllen Mary Souray
Ellaline TerrissMary Ellaline Terriss
Evelyn LayeElsie Evelyn Lay
Florence SmithsonFlorence Smithson
Gaby DeslysMarie-Elise-Gabrielle Caire
Gabrielle RayGabrielle Cook
Gertie MillarGertrude Millar
Gina PalermeMarie Louise Irène de Maulmont
Gladys CooperGladys Cooper
Irene Desmond(unknown)
Irene Richards(unknown)
Jessie Matthews(unknown)
José CollinsCharlotte Josephine Collins
Kitty GordonConstance Blades
Lily ElsieElsie Hodder
Mabel LoveMabel Watson
Mabel RussellMabel Russell
Mamie Watson(unknown)
Marie StudholmeCaroline Maria Lupton
May EtheridgeMay Etheridge
May Gates(unknown)
Moya NugentMoya Nugent
Olive MayOlive Mary Meatyard
Phyllis DarePhyllis Constance Haddie Dones (sister of Zena)
Rosie BooteRose Boote
Sylvia GreySylvia Grey
Sylvia StoreySylvia Storey
Zena DareFlorence Hariette Zena Dones (sister of Phyllis)

Which of the above names do you like best?

Sources: Gaiety Girls – Wikipedia, Gaiety Girls exhibition – National Portrait Gallery