Zelda peaked in 2020 and holds 16,406 SSA records. A Germanic name with a Fitzgerald literary pedigree and a legendary video game franchise attached to it, it sits at rank 748 after a genuine 21st-century revival from decades of dormancy.
Germanic Warrior Woman
Zelda derives from Old High German roots, possibly a short form of Griselda (from gris, grey, and hild, battle) or from seld, meaning rare, precious. The warrior-woman etymology suits a name that has spent a century alternating between literary icon and video game royalty. The meaning's edge (battle, precious, rare) gives Zelda a character depth that lighter, softer names don't carry. Parents naming a daughter Zelda are not choosing softness.
Fitzgerald and Hyrule
Zelda Fitzgerald, F. Scott's wife, is the literary famous bearer: a brilliant, complex woman whose talent was partially overshadowed by her husband's fame and her own mental health struggles. She's been reassessed in recent decades as a creative figure in her own right. Then there's Princess Zelda of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda franchise, the series that kept the name in pop culture consciousness for forty years. Robin Williams famously named his daughter Zelda after the princess, bringing both associations into the same moment. Jazz Age literary tragedy and video game royalty, simultaneously.
The Z Opening
Z names for girls are genuinely rare. Zoe and Zoey dominate the category, leaving almost everything else with significant white space. Zelda is one of the few Z names with both historical depth and current momentum. The Z initial gives a daughter an unusual identifier on school rosters and in introductions. For parents who love the sound of Zelda and its stories, the rarity of the initial letter is an unexpected bonus.