Zelda: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “gray battle”
- Origin
- Germanic
- Say it
- ZEL-duh · 2 syllables
- Used for
- Girls
Usually treated as a short form of Griselda, from Germanic elements meaning 'gray' and 'battle'. It was also used independently in Yiddish-speaking communities, influenced by names like Selig or Zelde.
How popular is Zelda?
Babies named Zelda in 2024376
2024 rank#745 girls
Peak year1911
Total US babies since 188016,411
Zelda is rising: use over the last five years is 3.6× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like Zelda
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
Zelda questions
What does the name Zelda mean?
Zelda means "gray battle". It comes from Germanic. Usually treated as a short form of Griselda, from Germanic elements meaning 'gray' and 'battle'. It was also used independently in Yiddish-speaking communities, influenced by names like Selig or Zelde.
Is Zelda a boy or girl name?
Zelda is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Zelda?
376 US babies were named Zelda in 2024. Its peak year was 1911.
How do you pronounce Zelda?
Zelda is usually pronounced ZEL-duh.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.