Fun Facts About the Name Zinnia
- More than 2 thousand babies named Zinnia: U.S. records list 2,682 babies given the name Zinnia from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zinnia Mean?
Zinnia is a flower name taken from the botanical genus Zinnia. The genus was named by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in the 1750s in honor of Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727 - 1759), a German physician and botanist who was a professor at Göttingen and who corresponded with Linnaeus. The genus name is a Latinized form of the surname Zinn, so its literal sense is "Zinn's plant." The German word Zinn means "tin," which is the origin of the surname, but that is the surname's history rather than the meaning of the plant or given name.
Zinnia Name History & Origins
The zinnia plants themselves are native to the Americas, with the greatest number of species in Mexico; some also grow in Central America and the southwestern United States. European gardeners came to know them through plants sent from Mexico, and the common garden zinnia, Zinnia elegans, became a familiar summer flower in Europe and North America.
As a personal name, Zinnia belongs to the broad tradition of English flower names such as Rose, Lily, and Daisy. It is a much later and less common addition to that group, formed directly from the botanical genus rather than from an older personal name, and it appears mainly in English-speaking countries. It has no separate history in earlier European naming; its development follows the plant's name, which in turn preserves the memory of the botanist Zinn.
How Popular is the Name Zinnia?
Zinnia 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 #1,290 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 | #1,290 | 174 | 0.0108% |
| 2024 | #1,349 | 169 | 0.0105% |
| 2023 | #1,296 | 177 | 0.0110% |
| 2022 | #1,365 | 171 | 0.0104% |
| 2021 | #1,389 | 158 | 0.0096% |
| 2020 | #1,590 | 132 | 0.0082% |
| 2019 | #1,606 | 133 | 0.0079% |
| 2018 | #1,496 | 147 | 0.0086% |
| 2017 | #1,513 | 147 | 0.0085% |
| 2016 | #1,773 | 118 | 0.0067% |
| 2015 | #1,756 | 120 | 0.0067% |
| 2014 | #2,095 | 93 | 0.0052% |
| 2013 | #2,438 | 75 | 0.0043% |
| 2012 | #3,133 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 2011 | #3,131 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 2010 | #3,408 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2009 | #3,941 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2008 | #4,357 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 2007 | #5,521 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2006 | #3,792 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2005 | #4,702 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2004 | #5,061 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2003 | #4,218 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2002 | #5,671 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2001 | #6,618 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #4,647 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1999 | #6,190 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1998 | #6,070 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #5,414 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #5,529 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1995 | #7,510 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #5,712 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1993 | #8,718 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #8,064 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #7,428 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #8,499 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #9,676 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #10,383 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #5,610 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1986 | #8,519 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,347 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #5,897 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1983 | #5,822 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #4,526 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1981 | #3,858 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1980 | #4,977 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1979 | #3,667 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1978 | #5,212 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1977 | #5,211 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1976 | #3,811 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1975 | #6,483 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #4,456 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1973 | #6,076 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #5,955 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #6,618 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #6,799 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #7,624 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #7,528 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #7,585 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1942 | #5,377 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1917 | #4,590 | 6 | 0.0006% |
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 Zinnia 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 intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Zinnia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zinnia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.