Feminine dossier · first seen 1880
Zella
Stable
Cross-generational persistence
Peak era
1917
Peak births
298
Current vitality
Fragile
Peak generation
Greatest Generation
Quick answers about Zella
How many people are named Zella?
An estimated 3,542 living Americans are named Zella.
How rare is Zella?
Zella is uncommon among babies today, with 117 girls receiving the name in 2025, down 60.7% from its 1917 peak.
How old is the typical Zella?
The median age of a living American named Zella is approximately 13 years, with most bearers falling between 7 and 62 years old.
Is Zella still popular?
Yes. Zella is holding steady, with 117 births in 2025 and a consistent recent baseline.
Where is Zella most common?
Zella has its strongest geographic signal in Kentucky, where it appears 4.8× more often than the national baseline.
1880Peak 19172025
Peak year
1917
Decline from peak
60.7%
2025
117
All-time
13,369
Where it lives now
Zella is most concentrated in Kentucky — about 4.8× the national rate in the 1940s.
States where Zella is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.