Zelda
Yiddish, from Zelde, which goes back to a Middle High German word for blessed or fortunate. It has also been used as a short form of Griselda.
Zelda in 2025
Zelda was given to 328 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,594th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 10,108 babies born.
The history of Zelda
Zelda reached its highest point in 2020, when 526 babies were given the name, ranking 1,102nd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 610th, in 1905.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 16,739 babies have been named Zelda. Half of them were born before 1955, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Zelda by decade
| Decade | Babies named Zelda | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 62 | 1,275 |
| 1890s | 254 | 804 |
| 1900s | 595 | 610 |
| 1910s | 1,854 | 616 |
| 1920s | 2,376 | 762 |
| 1930s | 1,655 | 811 |
| 1940s | 1,074 | 1,097 |
| 1950s | 1,160 | 1,444 |
| 1960s | 1,265 | 1,339 |
| 1970s | 305 | 2,416 |
| 1980s | 154 | 6,411 |
| 1990s | 144 | 7,341 |
| 2000s | 391 | 5,125 |
| 2010s | 2,889 | 1,232 |
| 2020s | 2,561 | 1,102 |
Where Zelda is heading
Zelda has fallen 26% over the past decade, from 443 babies in 2015 to 328 in 2025.
Names like Zelda
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Zelda.