Zelda is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Zelda means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Zelda across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Zelda has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Zelda is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “grey battle, or dark maiden”. A short form of Griselda.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 16,739 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 397 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 19 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 25 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Zelda per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2020 (526/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2020 (50/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1979 (5/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2018 (4/yr).
Zelda is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2020, when it ranked #1,101 nationally (given to 584 babies that year).
Selda · Zelta · Seleta · Zilda · Celita · Celeta · Zeldia · Selita
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →