Fun Facts About the Name Zenna
- 529 babies named Zenna: U.S. records list 529 babies given the name Zenna from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zenna Mean?
Zenna is a rare given name used mainly in English. It is usually treated as a variant spelling of Zena, an English form of the Greek name Xenia (Ξένια). The Greek word xenia means "hospitality" or "guest-friendship," the customary welcome owed to a guest or stranger; it comes from xenos, "stranger" or "guest," plus the noun ending -ia. Read this way, the name's literal sense is "hospitality."
A second explanation treats Zena, and so Zenna, as a shortened form of Zenobia, the Greek name of a third-century queen of Palmyra. That name joins Zen-, from Zeus, with bios, "life," giving the sense "life of Zeus." The two derivations differ in origin and meaning, and both are proposed for the shorter forms; which one lies behind any particular use of Zenna is generally not documented.
Zenna Name History & Origins
The Greek name Xenia grew out of xenia, the bond of hospitality between host and guest that runs through Greek literature, including the Odyssey. Because the same word served as both a common noun and a woman's name, the name carried the idea of hospitality with it. It spread with Greek and Orthodox Christian culture: in Russian it became Kseniya (Ксения), and related forms remain in use in Greece, Russia, and other parts of Eastern Europe.
In English, Zena appears as a simplified spelling of Xenia, and Zenna is a further variant with the n doubled. Zena also serves as a short form of Zenobia, a name English readers know from the third-century queen of Palmyra. Because the short form can come from either name, the two traditions overlap in English use.
The spelling Zenna is familiar to modern American readers through the science fiction writer Zenna Henderson (1917 - 1983), one well-known bearer of the name.
How Popular is the Name Zenna?
Zenna 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 2023. Its best rank was #1,533 in 1890.
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 | #8,855 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #6,895 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #5,383 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2022 | #8,524 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #9,552 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #8,942 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #9,725 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #6,788 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #9,333 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #8,386 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #8,003 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #7,296 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #9,030 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #7,797 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2011 | #9,720 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #12,261 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #7,335 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #10,799 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #17,610 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #15,139 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #19,175 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #18,812 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #13,828 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #8,749 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #15,021 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #16,586 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #16,143 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #15,748 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #12,952 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #11,796 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #12,501 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #12,157 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #11,470 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #6,040 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #4,354 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #5,889 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #6,383 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1943 | #5,366 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1931 | #4,974 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #3,656 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1929 | #5,275 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1928 | #4,191 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1927 | #2,858 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1924 | #4,000 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1923 | #4,963 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #3,377 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1921 | #5,096 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #5,763 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1919 | #4,245 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1918 | #3,867 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1917 | #4,081 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1916 | #3,549 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1915 | #3,130 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1914 | #4,200 | 5 | 0.0007% |
| 1913 | #3,183 | 6 | 0.0010% |
| 1912 | #3,439 | 5 | 0.0009% |
| 1911 | #2,866 | 5 | 0.0012% |
| 1910 | #2,788 | 5 | 0.0013% |
| 1900 | #1,928 | 6 | 0.0020% |
| 1890 | #1,533 | 5 | 0.0026% |
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 Zenna 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 find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Zenna's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zenna's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.