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Zenda
How to Pronounce Zenda
Pronounced ZEN-duh /หzษn.dษ/Medium
Meaning: Zenda is best read as a literary place-name from Anthony Hope's 1894 novel The Prisoner of Zenda, whose castle setting gave the name currency; it may also be a short form of Zenaida, a Greek name linked to Zeus. Its use as a first name traces to that literary and Z-name appeal rather than a fixed meaning.Low
Popularity in the U.S. ยท SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880โpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Zenda is most plausibly a literary place-name, borrowed from the castle in Anthony Hope's 1894 novel The Prisoner of Zenda, whose fame gave the word a romantic ring; it may also be a short form of Zenaida, a Greek name tied to Zeus. As a first name it appears in United States birth records in the twentieth century, reached its modest high around 1953, and was never common, given to only a couple dozen girls a year.
A girl named Zenda then would be a grandmother now. The name reads as a striking, Z-forward vintage choice with a storybook echo. It has not revived, but its crisp sound fits today's fondness for bold, uncommon girls' names.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Zenda mean?
It is most likely a literary place-name from The Prisoner of Zenda, or a short form of the Greek Zenaida; it has no single fixed meaning.
How do you pronounce Zenda?
It's said ZEN-duh /หzษn.dษ/, two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Zenda a boy or girl name?
Zenda is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Zenda?
It has always been very rare, given to only a couple dozen girls a year, with a small high in the nineteen-fifties.