Given name & surname
Zena
“one having great fame”
Zena is used as a given name and a surname. One African interpretation is “one having great fame.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “one having great fame.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is African, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
In Scottish use, Zena is used as a shortened form of Alexina.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Zena is a feminine form of Zeno. The history of Zeno gives this family its wider story. Past bearers associated with Zeno include two major Greek philosophers and a Christian Eastern Roman emperor.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Zena through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,986
- 0 boys · 5,986 girls
- Most popular year
- 1964
- 222 babies
- 2025
- 73
- #2,457 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +10%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 73 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,457 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 9.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 222 in 1964. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,465 as a first name in 2020; 281 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.
Zena’s family of names
Zena is a short form of Zenobia. Zena is a feminine form of Zeno. Zena has a related form in Zina.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Show 1 moreShow fewer
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Zena
- Zena MarshallBritish actress (1926–2009)1925–2009
- Zena CardmanAmerican geobiologist and NASA astronautborn 1987
- Zena KeefeAmerican actress (1896–1976)
- Zena DareBritish actress and singer (1887-1975)
- Zena WalkerEnglish actress (1934-2003)
- Zena WerbGerman-born cell biologist1945–2020
- Zena GreyAmerican actressborn 1988
- Zena Assicontemporary Lebanese painterborn 1974
- Zena ToozeCanadian conservationistborn 1955
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Zena, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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