Fun Facts About the Name Zalea
- 163 babies named Zalea: U.S. records list 163 babies given the name Zalea from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zalea Mean?
Zalea is a rare feminine given name with no firmly settled etymology. One explanation treats it as a shortened form of Azalea, the flower name. Azalea comes from Greek azaleos, "dry," describing the shrub's preference for dry, sandy ground; the literal sense of the root is therefore "dry," while the everyday meaning of the name is simply the flower. A second explanation derives Zalea from Zelia or the French Zélie, both short forms of Azélie. That name traces to the Occitan Azalais, a form of the Germanic Adalhaid, the ancestor of Adelaide, built from adal, "noble," and haid, "kind, sort," so "noble kind." The two lines are unrelated to each other, and the form of Zalea does not show which one lies behind it, so no single meaning can be stated with confidence.
Zalea Name History & Origins
Azalea began as a plant name: it was used as a botanical genus in the 18th century and was later merged into Rhododendron. As a girl's name it came into use in the 19th century, particularly in the southern United States, where the shrubs are widely grown. If Zalea belongs to that family, it is a later and less common spelling that drops the opening vowel.
The Zélie tradition has a separate history. Azalais was current in medieval Occitania, in what is now southern France, and gave the French Azélie and its short form Zélie. Zélie Martin (1831 - 1877), mother of Thérèse of Lisieux and a canonized saint, is the best-known bearer of that form. Zalea resembles this family in sound and spelling, but a resemblance of that kind does not establish a shared origin, and nothing in the name's recorded use fixes which tradition, if either, produced it.
How Popular is the Name Zalea?
Zalea 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 2010. Its best rank was #8,347 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 | #8,347 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2024 | #13,394 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #12,149 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #12,210 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #11,112 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #9,530 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #10,522 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #14,080 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #10,094 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #12,974 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #10,115 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #14,556 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #13,445 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #9,712 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #9,216 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2009 | #17,251 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #13,798 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #17,122 | 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.
Explore More Lists with Name Zalea
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with Z
Unique Short Girl Names That Start with Z
How the Name Zalea Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have aspiration and inspiration, hope and guidance. Since you are intuitive and perceptive and you understand human nature. You have the power to achieve. Diplomacy and discretion make you a good mediator. You are inspired, introspective, and have a good understanding of the human heart. You can have the ability to commercialize your artistic talents successfully. You are often a mystery to others and to yourself. You are always reaching for something higher, without exactly knowing what that "higher" is. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Zalea's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zalea's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.