Zella: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “gray battle maiden”
- Origin
- Germanic
- Say it
- ZEL-uh · 2 syllables
- Used for
- Girls
Zella is often treated as a short form of Germanic names containing the element selt or as a variant linked with Marcella/Cella; its history is mixed and partly uncertain. The Germanic derivation is commonly cited. The origin of this name is not settled among etymologists.
How popular is Zella?
Babies named Zella in 2024108
2024 rank#1,845 girls
Peak year1894
Total US babies since 188013,250
Zella is rising: use over the last five years is 1.7× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like Zella
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
Zella questions
What does the name Zella mean?
Zella means "gray battle maiden". It comes from Germanic. Zella is often treated as a short form of Germanic names containing the element selt or as a variant linked with Marcella/Cella; its history is mixed and partly uncertain. The Germanic derivation is commonly cited.
Is Zella a boy or girl name?
Zella is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Zella?
108 US babies were named Zella in 2024. Its peak year was 1894.
How do you pronounce Zella?
Zella is usually pronounced ZEL-uh.
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.