Zia

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Jiya in NG Nigeria.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 12 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Zia is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name47K records spelled Zia10 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Philippines, India, United Kingdom

  Languages: English, German, Dutch

  Also written Ziä, Źîå, Zîa, Žīå, Żīä

• French given name12K records spelled Zia10 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Belgium, United Kingdom

  Also written Zïa, Ziã, Ziâ, Zîa, Zïà

• a separate given name6.1K records spelled Zia3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, Pakistan, United States, United Kingdom

  Also written Zía, Zïa

• Indonesian given name5.4K records spelled Zia3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, United States

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written Zia'

• Spanish given name4.7K records spelled Zia7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Philippines, Argentina, Spain

  Also written Zía, Ziä, Zià, Zïa, Zìa

53 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Zia is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• The Hebrew name Zia (זִיעַ) is derived from a root meaning "trembling," "shaking," or "agitation".

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• While a minor figure, Zia's inclusion in the biblical genealogies highlights the theme of God's faithfulness in preserving each family and individual within the covenant people of Israel. His record serves as a testament to the continuity and identity of the Israelite tribes, even those geographically distant from the central places of worship.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In English, A male given name from Arabic popular among Muslims.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Arabic, light, glow, illumination, splendour

  as a name·A Dictionary of Muslim Names

• In Arabic, light, glow, illumination. Jao ll ga

  as a name·A Dictionary of Muslim Names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 44 years between 1976–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Zia Atabayb. 1942USIranian-American musician and activist
• Zia Shahidb. 1945PKPakistani journalist (1945 - 2021)
• Zia Hossainb. 1970BDbadminton player
• Zia Soaresb. 1972AOAngolan director and actress
• Zia Cookeb. 2001USAmerican basketball player (born 2001)
• Salma Zia Rahma Arissantib. 2006IDbadminton player

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 358 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Zia?

We estimate roughly 5.0 thousand people bear Zia (counting its spellings and scripts) across 11 countries in our records.

In which country does Zia have the most bearers?

Zia is most frequently recorded in Pakistan, where it is most often spelled zia.

How common is Zia compared with other names?

In Pakistan, Zia is the 167th most common given name of 75,254 given names recorded there.

Is Zia a male or female name?

Zia is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.

What does the name Zia mean?

Recorded meaning: Zia is a biblical name of Hebrew origin meaning "trembling" or "movement."