Given name & surname
Zion
“from the citadel”
Zion is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “from the citadel.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “from the citadel.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From Latin Sīōn, from Koine Greek Σῑών, from Biblical Hebrew צִיּוֹן (ṣiyyôn).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1917. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Zion through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 53,897
- 46,871 boys · 7,026 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 3,020 babies
- 2025
- 2,590
- #142 for boys · #2,035 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +12%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 93% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,496 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 142 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 18.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 94 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (263). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 30,865 as a first name in 2020; 1,322 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.
Zion’s family of names
Zion has a related form in Ziona. Zion has a related form in Zionah. Zion has a related form in Zione.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Zion
- Zion SuzukiAmerican-Japanese association footballer (born 2002)
- Zion WilliamsonAmerican basketball player (born 2000)
- Zión MorenoAmerican actressborn 1995
- Zion LightsBritish author and activist known for her environmental work and science communicationborn 1984
- Zion JohnsonAmerican football player (born 1999)
- Zion GolanIsraeli singerborn 1955
- Zion PinyanIsraeli politicianborn 1951
- Zion Tzemahfootballerborn 1990
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Zion, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Micah
“who is like (Yahweh)?”
93% boys · 7% girls
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“praised” · “one who praises God”
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Gideon
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95% boys · 5% girls
Noah
“rest” · “to comfort”
98% boys · 2% girls