Zelda

Diminutive of Griselda
"gray fighting maid"

Zelda Origin and Meaning

The name Zelda is a girl's name of German origin meaning "gray fighting maid".

Classified as an early beauty, Zelda has long and often been used as such for characters in books and films. Since 1986, Zelda has been a prime Nintendo name, as in the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

Zelda was in baby name limbo for a number of years, but it's making a comeback with the interest in Z (and X) names. It was one of the fastest-rising girls’ names of 2015, when it entered the Top 1000 for the first time in nearly 50 years.

For many, there will always be a strong association to Scott Fitzgerald's tortured wife, herself a writer and a symbol of the 1920's Jazz Age — also the subject of a recent novel-turned-television show.

Trivia tidbit: Marilyn Monroe was known to sometimes use the pseudonym Zelda Zonk.

# 705 in the US

Zelda Rank in US Top 1000

# 279 on Nameberry

Zelda Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Zelda Popularity

Famous People Named Zelda

  • Zelda Fitzgerald
    American novelist; wife of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Zelda May Rubinstein
    American actress
  • Zelda Popkin
    American mystery novelist
  • Zelda Harris
    American actress
  • Zelda Sears
    American actress and writer
  • Zelda Rae Williams
    American actress; daughter of Robin Williams
  • Zelda June Topolsky
    daughter of tech guru Joshua Topolsky of Engadget
  • Zelda Violet Frissberg (b. 2015)
    daughter of Emma Bloomberg and Chris Frissora; granddaughter of politician Michael Bloomberg

Zelda in Pop Culture

  • Zelda
    character in the hit game series, The Legend of Zelda.
  • Zelda Heap
    character in the Septimus Heap book series
  • Zelda Spellman
    Sabrina's aunt on TV's "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and Netflix's "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"
  • Zelda
    character in Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast
  • Zelda
    a main character in Morris Gleitzman's "Once," "Then," "After" and "Now"
  • Zelda Zonk
    a pseudonym used by Marilyn Monroe
  • Zelda Reginhard
    character in anime and manga series Lotte no Omocha!
  • Zelda
    character in the British TV series Terrahawks
  • Zelda Dobinski
    character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
  • Zelda Mae
    character in "The Sims 3" computer game