Given name & surname
Zala
“one who is beautiful; from the river”
Zala is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “one who is beautiful; from the river.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “one who is beautiful; from the river.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1921. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Zala through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 275
- 0 boys · 275 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 31 babies
- 2025
- 31
- #4,543 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +103%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 31 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,543 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 103.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Virginia had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 250 as a first name in 2020; 318 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Zala’s family of names
Zala has a related form in Zalah. Zala has a related form in Zalla. Zala has a related form in Zallah.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Zala
- Zala ZazaiPolicewomanborn 1999
- Zala TomašičSlovenian politician and TV hostborn 1995
- Zala Meršnikassociation football playerborn 2001
- Zala UrhSlovenian chess playerborn 2002
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Zala, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Xiomara
“famous in battle” · “from the glorious forest”
>99% girls
Zogović
“bird”
—
Sliwa
“plum tree”
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Huayta
“flower”
—
Araxie
“from the river of inspiration”
2% boys · 98% girls
Marilla
“of the shining sea”
>99% girls
Kochevar
“fir tree”
—
Nyla
“from the Nile river”
>99% girls