Zendaya
Zendaya was the 1189th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 195 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 680th with 430 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 400 places. More babies were named Zendaya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Shona Tendai, 'be thankful' · Shona
Say it zen-DAY-uh /zɛnˈdeɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,189 girls, down 223 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 195girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2022430 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,873babies recorded
What does the name Zendaya mean?
Zendaya is best known as the name of the American actress Zendaya Coleman. Wiktionary describes it as derived from the Shona name Tendai, a name from Zimbabwe based on the verb tenda 'to thank', usually understood as 'be thankful (to God)'. The name was chosen by her family, and it is not a traditional Shona name in this form. Before her fame the name was essentially unknown; SSA records it from 2011.
Tendai (Shona, “be thankful”)tenda (Shona, “to thank”)
How sure is this? Probable. The derivation rests on the actress's family account as reported in Wiktionary; the Shona gloss is from secondary sources.
Related names: Tendai.
See also: African names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Zendaya', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Zendaya popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,189 | 195 |
| 2020 | #966 | 264 |
| 2010 | — | — |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Zendaya, counting every spelling?
Zendaya is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,065 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,189 for Zendaya on its own. Together these spellings went to 212 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zendaya | 195 | #1,189 | 1,552 |
| Zendayah | 17 | #6,829 | 64 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Zendaya?
195 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Zendaya (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Zendaya born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 43 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Zendaya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Zendaya?
About 3,800 people born in the US named Zendaya are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 11. That makes Zendaya a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Zendaya by state
How common Zendaya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Ohio (1.6×), Kentucky (1.5×), Georgia (1.5×). In 17 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Zendaya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Zendaya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Zendaya · Sibling names for Zendaya
Questions about the name Zendaya
What does Zendaya mean?
Zendaya means “from Shona Tendai, 'be thankful'” (Shona origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Zendaya?
Zendaya was the 1189th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 195 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 680th with 430 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 400 places. More babies were named Zendaya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Zendaya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Zendaya in the US.
Where is Zendaya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Zendaya was most common in South Dakota (0.35 per 1,000 girls), followed by Ohio and Kentucky.