How popular is the baby name Zenzile 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 Zenzile.

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Popularity of the baby name Zenzile


Posts that mention the name Zenzile

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.

Where did the baby name Makeba come from in the early 1960s?

South African singer Miriam Makeba (1932-2008)
Miriam Makeba

The baby name Makeba started appearing in the U.S. baby name data in the early 1960s:

  • 1966: 8 baby girls named Makeba
  • 1965: unlisted
  • 1964: 5 baby girls named Makeba
  • 1963: 5 baby girls named Makeba
  • 1962: 5 baby girls named Makeba [debut]
  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: unlisted

It saw peak usage in the early 1970s.

Where did it come from?

South African singer Miriam Makeba, who was born near Johannesburg in 1932 to a Xhosa father and a Swazi mother.

Miriam Makeba began singing professionally in the early 1950s. In the late ’50s she met famous Jamaican-American singer Harry Belafonte, who introduced her to American audiences. Her fame grew (both in the U.S. and in Europe) during the ’60s, and she became “the first African artist to globally popularize African music.”

Her first name at birth was actually Zenzile, nickname Zenzi. (The English name Miriam was adopted later for career purposes.) According to Makeba, the name Zenzile means “you have no one to blame but yourself” or “you have done it to yourself.”

But “Zenzile Makeba” wasn’t her full name. Her full name was Zenzile Makeba Qgwashu Nguvama Yiketheli Nxgowa Bantana Balomzi Xa Ufun Ubajabulisa Ubaphekcli Mbiza Yotshwala Sithi Xa Saku Qgiba Ukutja Sithathe Izitsha Sizi Kkabe Singama Lawu Singama Qgwashu Singama Nqamla Nqgithi.

Why so long?

The reason for its length is that every child takes the first name of all his male ancestors. Often following the first name is a descriptive word or two, telling; about the character of the person, making a true African name somewhat like a story. This may sound most unusual to Americans, but it is the custom of my people.

I haven’t had any luck tracking down the etymology of Makeba, but I know the name came from Miriam’s mother, Nomkomendelo Christina Makeba. The name Nomkomendelo means “the one whose father was commandeered” (as she was born on the day her father was forced to join the British army to help fight the Second Boer War).

What are your thoughts on the name Makeba?

Sources:

P.S. Here are a few more names inspired by the Second Boer War