Fun Facts About the Name Zaha
- 122 babies named Zaha: U.S. records list 122 babies given the name Zaha from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zaha Mean?
Zaha is an Arabic feminine name, usually understood to mean "radiance," "splendor," or "brightness." It comes from the Arabic root z-h-w, whose basic verb zahā means "to shine," "to gleam," or "to be resplendent." Related words from the same root, such as zahw, also carry the sense of full bloom in plants, so a secondary meaning of "blossom" is sometimes given for the name.
Zaha belongs to the broad family of Arabic names built on ideas of light and flowering, but it should not be merged with the similar-sounding Zahra or Zahraa. Those names come from a different root, z-h-r, which also means "to shine" or "to blossom." The meanings overlap, yet the roots differ, so the resemblance does not prove a shared origin.
Zaha Name History & Origins
Zaha is used as a given name in Arabic-speaking countries, where names drawn from classical Arabic vocabulary for light, beauty, and blooming are long established. The root z-h-w appears in classical Arabic for shining and for the bloom of plants, and that is the stock from which the name is formed.
Outside the Arab world, the name is known mainly through the Iraqi-born British architect Zaha Hadid (1950 - 2016), whose buildings made her name familiar to English speakers. The name is otherwise chiefly found in Arabic-speaking regions rather than in general English use.
How Popular is the Name Zaha?
Zaha has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #5,912 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 | #5,912 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2024 | #6,361 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #8,036 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #9,043 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #8,955 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #7,202 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2019 | #9,711 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #9,790 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #16,355 | 6 | 0.0003% |
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.
