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Home › Baby Names Directory › Kizzy

Kizzy

♀ Girl

Pronounced KIZ-ee /ˈkɪz.iː/High

Meaning: Kizzy is a pet form associated with Keziah (Hebrew Qetsiah, 'cassia,' a fragrant bark), a name borne by a daughter of Job. It reached American families chiefly through the character Kizzy in Alex Haley's Roots.Low

In 30 seconds: Kizzy is a nickname tied to Keziah, 'cassia' in Hebrew (said 'KIZ-ee'). Its fame came from Roots.
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Origin MediumHebrew
MeaningKizzy is a pet form associated with Keziah (Hebrew Qetsiah, 'cassia,' a fragrant bark), a name borne by a daughter of Job. It reached American families chiefly through the character Kizzy in Alex Haley's Roots.
U.S. rank (2021)#14419 ↘ Falling
2021 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1977
Total births (all-time)≈ 2,347

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 197719772021

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Kizzy is a pet form of Keziah, 'cassia' (Hebrew), an old plantation-era nickname revived in a single dramatic moment: the 1977 broadcast of Roots. It debuted and peaked that very year at around eleven hundred, then faded quickly — one of the clearest media-born names in this group.

A woman named Kizzy from its 1977 debut is now in her late forties. The name is inseparable from Roots and the family history it dramatized; that specific, meaningful spark is its whole story. It has not returned broadly, though the fuller Keziah has quiet admirers.

Did you know? Kizzy appears in American records essentially only from 1977 — the year the television event Roots aired, whose character Kizzy sent parents to the name almost overnight.
Overall data confidence 55%
References — Kizzy — Pet form of Keziah; 1977 debut with Roots

Variations

KeziahKizzieKissie

Nicknames

KizKizzy

Famous Bearers

  • ★Kizzy (character in Roots) (1977)
    Enslaved daughter in Alex Haley's Roots; the 1977 TV broadcast drove the name's debut spike

If you like Kizzy…

Keziah— the full name Kizzy pets
Izzy— a like playful -zzy nickname-name
Missy— a same-era short nickname-name
Kacy— a like bright two-beat name

Explore names like Kizzy

By themehebrewnickname-name1970stv-driven

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Kizzy mean?

Kizzy is a pet form linked to Keziah, from Hebrew for 'cassia,' a fragrant spice.

How do you pronounce Kizzy?

It's said KIZ-ee /ˈkɪz.iː/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Kizzy a boy or girl name?

Kizzy is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Kizzy?

Kizzy appeared almost overnight in the late seventies with the television event Roots and has been rare since.

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