Fun Facts About the Name Zema
- 170 babies named Zema: U.S. records list 170 babies given the name Zema from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zema Mean?
Zema means "melody" or "song" and comes from the Amharic and Ge'ez word ዜማ (zema), which names a tune and, in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, its chant tradition. The related noun zemari means a cantor or singer, showing how tightly the word is bound to sung religious music. As a personal name, Zema keeps that literal sense of a melody rather than a symbolic one.
A separate and less certain use treats Zema as a short form of the Russian and Romani name Zemfira. That link rests on the similar sound of the two names rather than a documented derivation, and the origin of Zemfira is itself disputed, so the connection should be treated as possible, not established. Zema is also found as a surname in southern Italy, a use that developed separately from the given name in the Horn of Africa.
Zema Name History & Origins
Zema is recorded in the Ethiopic written tradition, the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Church history credits Saint Yared, a sixth-century deacon, with organizing the zema, the sacred chant and its modes; that account is traditional rather than documented in detail, but the word itself is old and firmly attested in Ge'ez and later in Amharic and Tigrinya as the ordinary term for a tune or melody. From it, families in Ethiopia and Eritrea formed the given name Zema.
Outside the Horn of Africa the name appears in unrelated settings. In Russian-speaking and Romani communities it is sometimes used as a pet form of Zemfira; Pushkin's 1824 poem The Gypsies, with Zemfira as its heroine, is a famous literary use of that longer name, but it is not the source of Zema. In southern Italy, Zema is found mainly as a surname, and it also appears as a surname among Brazilian families of Italian descent. These surname uses grew up separately from the Amharic given name.
How Popular is the Name Zema?
Zema 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 2019. Its best rank was #5,982 in 2019.
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 | #9,450 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #7,932 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #9,596 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #6,970 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #8,446 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #6,914 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2019 | #5,982 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2018 | #6,787 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #9,927 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #10,844 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #12,986 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #16,482 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #14,565 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #16,734 | 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.
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How the Name Zema 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.
✦ Zema's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zema's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.