Fun Facts About the Name Zylah
- More than 1 thousand babies named Zylah: U.S. records list 1,445 babies given the name Zylah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zylah Mean?
Zylah is generally treated as a modern spelling of Zillah, the Hebrew name Tzillah (צִלָּה) borne by a wife of Lamech in the Book of Genesis. The name is usually connected to the Hebrew word tzel, "shadow" or "shade," which gives the customary meaning "shadow." A second proposed root is tzalal, "to ring" or "tinkle," which would yield a sense closer to "tinkling." The biblical name's derivation is therefore disputed, and the spelling Zylah has no separate etymology of its own. Zilla and Zillah are alternative spellings of the same biblical name, not different names.
Zylah Name History & Origins
The name comes from the Hebrew Bible. In Genesis, Zillah is one of the two wives of Lamech, a descendant of Cain, and the mother of Tubal-cain, described as the first worker of bronze and iron, and of a daughter named Naamah. Because the text does not explain the name, Jewish tradition supplied a reading of it: rabbinic commentary treats the wives' names as hints about their roles, understanding Zillah in connection with "shadow." That is a traditional interpretation, not a literal etymology.
English translations of the Bible, including the King James Version of 1611, spell the name Zillah, and this is the form through which it became familiar in English-speaking countries. The name has been given to girls in Britain and the United States, chiefly among families who favored Old Testament names. Zylah, with a y, is a later respelling rather than a distinct Hebrew form, and the same name also appears as Zilla.
How Popular is the Name Zylah?
Zylah 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 2024. Its best rank was #1,532 in 2024.
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 | #1,547 | 137 | 0.0085% |
| 2024 | #1,532 | 140 | 0.0087% |
| 2023 | #1,543 | 139 | 0.0087% |
| 2022 | #1,657 | 128 | 0.0078% |
| 2021 | #1,610 | 131 | 0.0080% |
| 2020 | #1,791 | 111 | 0.0069% |
| 2019 | #2,427 | 74 | 0.0044% |
| 2018 | #2,273 | 81 | 0.0048% |
| 2017 | #2,199 | 87 | 0.0050% |
| 2016 | #2,461 | 75 | 0.0042% |
| 2015 | #3,090 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 2014 | #2,807 | 62 | 0.0035% |
| 2013 | #4,001 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2012 | #3,710 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2011 | #4,805 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2010 | #4,492 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2009 | #6,314 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2008 | #8,528 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #13,923 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #13,601 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #16,459 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #14,173 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #18,437 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #18,084 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #17,975 | 5 | 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 Zylah 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 inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
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.
✦ Zylah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zylah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.