Fun Facts About the Name Azalea
- More than 11 thousand babies named Azalea: U.S. records list 11,727 babies given the name Azalea from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Azalea Mean?
Azalea means "dry," from Greek azaleos, and it is a feminine given name taken from the azalea, a flowering shrub now usually classified in the genus Rhododendron. The plant name comes from New Latin Azalea, which is based on that Greek word. The Greek azaleos described something dry or withered, and it is the source of the botanical name. The literal sense of the name is therefore "dry," but as a given name it is usually understood as a flower name. The reason the Greek word for "dry" was attached to this shrub is not entirely certain; explanations include dry, brittle wood and a dry habitat.
Azalea Name History & Origins
The plant name Azalea entered English through botanical Latin. The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus used Azalea as a genus name in the 18th century. In the 19th century, botanists reclassified most azaleas under the genus Rhododendron, but the older common name remained. As a personal name, Azalea is a flower name, like Rose, Lily, Violet, and Daisy, and it fits the Victorian fashion for plant names in the English-speaking world. It is used chiefly as a feminine name. A variant spelling is Azalia. In the language of flowers, the azalea has been associated with temperance and fragile passion, but these are symbolic readings added later, not the source of the name.
How Popular is the Name Azalea?
Azalea recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #278 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #278 | 1,109 | 0.0690% |
| 2024 | #358 | 868 | 0.0538% |
| 2023 | #365 | 841 | 0.0525% |
| 2022 | #401 | 782 | 0.0477% |
| 2021 | #420 | 750 | 0.0457% |
| 2020 | #483 | 634 | 0.0392% |
| 2019 | #528 | 579 | 0.0345% |
| 2018 | #512 | 608 | 0.0358% |
| 2017 | #576 | 523 | 0.0303% |
| 2016 | #586 | 524 | 0.0296% |
| 2015 | #580 | 524 | 0.0294% |
| 2014 | #531 | 584 | 0.0327% |
| 2013 | #628 | 446 | 0.0254% |
| 2012 | #893 | 296 | 0.0168% |
| 2011 | #1,184 | 204 | 0.0116% |
| 2010 | #1,394 | 165 | 0.0093% |
| 2009 | #1,641 | 136 | 0.0074% |
| 2008 | #1,636 | 138 | 0.0073% |
| 2007 | #1,706 | 128 | 0.0067% |
| 2006 | #1,725 | 121 | 0.0064% |
| 2005 | #1,513 | 137 | 0.0074% |
| 2004 | #1,927 | 97 | 0.0053% |
| 2003 | #1,927 | 94 | 0.0051% |
| 2002 | #1,846 | 97 | 0.0054% |
| 2001 | #1,981 | 86 | 0.0048% |
| 2000 | #2,514 | 60 | 0.0033% |
| 1999 | #2,475 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 1998 | #2,431 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 1997 | #2,361 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 1996 | #2,678 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 1995 | #3,786 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #3,374 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1993 | #3,355 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1992 | #4,099 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1991 | #4,071 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1990 | #4,251 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1989 | #3,794 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1988 | #4,329 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1987 | #4,299 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1986 | #6,204 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #5,099 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #5,237 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1983 | #4,700 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #5,566 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1981 | #3,751 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1980 | #5,942 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #4,863 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #3,787 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1977 | #4,247 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1976 | #3,824 | 17 | 0.0012% |
| 1975 | #4,157 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1974 | #3,438 | 19 | 0.0013% |
| 1973 | #4,898 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #6,619 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #5,582 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #5,857 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #4,449 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1967 | #6,083 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #5,032 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #4,284 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #4,796 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #6,161 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #2,834 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1955 | #5,255 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #5,801 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #2,520 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1952 | #4,149 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #3,295 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #3,242 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1948 | #5,294 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #4,465 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #3,055 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1942 | #4,675 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,993 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1939 | #4,304 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #3,473 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1937 | #4,302 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,126 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1935 | #2,942 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1934 | #4,338 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #3,064 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1931 | #3,517 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1929 | #2,448 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1928 | #2,968 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1927 | #4,870 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1926 | #2,581 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1925 | #2,957 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1924 | #3,164 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1923 | #3,147 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1922 | #2,495 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1921 | #2,205 | 17 | 0.0014% |
| 1920 | #1,712 | 24 | 0.0020% |
| 1919 | #2,398 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1918 | #1,890 | 20 | 0.0017% |
| 1917 | #2,323 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1916 | #2,038 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1915 | #2,551 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1914 | #2,454 | 9 | 0.0012% |
| 1913 | #1,681 | 13 | 0.0021% |
| 1912 | #1,857 | 10 | 0.0018% |
| 1911 | #2,224 | 6 | 0.0014% |
| 1910 | #2,447 | 5 | 0.0013% |
| 1909 | #1,620 | 8 | 0.0023% |
| 1908 | #1,267 | 11 | 0.0033% |
| 1907 | #2,099 | 5 | 0.0016% |
| 1906 | #1,160 | 11 | 0.0037% |
| 1905 | #1,720 | 6 | 0.0021% |
| 1904 | #1,674 | 6 | 0.0022% |
| 1903 | #1,817 | 5 | 0.0019% |
| 1902 | #1,457 | 7 | 0.0027% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Azalea Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Azalea's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Azalea's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.