Fun Facts About the Name Zealand
- 994 babies named Zealand: U.S. records list 994 babies given the name Zealand from 1880 through 2025. Even 72 girls received the name Zealand - about 1 girl for every 13 boys.
What Does the Name Zealand Mean?
Zealand is an English place name meaning 'sea land.' It comes from Dutch Zeeland, the name of a province in the southwestern Netherlands, formed from zee 'sea' and land 'land.' The same English spelling is also used for the Danish island Sjælland; that name is often explained with the same 'sea land' sense, but its older derivation is less certain. As a given name, Zealand is a transferred use of these place names rather than a name with an independent etymology.
Zealand Name History & Origins
The English form Zealand is tied to two European place names. The Dutch province of Zeeland lies in the southwestern Netherlands, a region of islands and estuaries. In the Middle Ages it was the County of Zeeland, and its name was formed in Dutch from zee 'sea' and land 'land.' In the 17th century, Dutch navigators and mapmakers applied the province's name to islands in the South Pacific; after Abel Tasman's voyage of 1642 - 43, the Dutch name Nieuw Zeeland was used, which English later rendered as New Zealand.
The same English spelling, Zealand, is used for the Danish island Sjælland, the largest island of Denmark. Sjælland was a center of the medieval Danish kingdom; Roskilde, its historic royal and religious center, and Copenhagen, later the capital, are both on the island. The English name came through forms such as Zealand and has long been used alongside the Danish Sjælland.
As a given name, Zealand is a transferred place name. It draws on the geographic name rather than on a separate personal-name tradition in English, Dutch, or Danish naming customs.
How Popular is the Name Zealand?
Zealand 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 2022. Its best rank was #1,392 in 2022.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #15,217 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #10,281 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #6,969 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #9,550 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #12,431 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #19,071 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #19,187 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #19,236 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #19,794 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,770 | 92 | 0.0054% |
| 2024 | #1,543 | 114 | 0.0066% |
| 2023 | #1,707 | 99 | 0.0058% |
| 2022 | #1,392 | 134 | 0.0077% |
| 2021 | #1,439 | 126 | 0.0072% |
| 2020 | #3,414 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2019 | #3,633 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2018 | #4,736 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2017 | #3,375 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2016 | #4,468 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2015 | #3,879 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2014 | #3,367 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2013 | #4,310 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2012 | #4,682 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #5,670 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #5,734 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #5,329 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #6,062 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #8,163 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #9,578 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #11,457 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #11,339 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #10,655 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #7,411 | 9 | 0.0005% |
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 Zealand 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 have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
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.
✦ Zealand's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zealand's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.