Zesty Z's

The names

• Zane

  Possible variation of John

  "God is gracious"

  Western novelist Zane (born Pearl!) Grey made this name famous. Now, it's in tune with the style of our times, retaining that appealing cowboy image. Zane Grey was the great-grandson of Ebenezer…

  

• Zuri

  Swahili

  "good, beautiful"

  A Swahili name with a positive meaning, Zuri came to the attention of American parents when an Ohio zoo used it for a female giraffe. It subsequently shot up the charts in 2010, peaking in 2022 when…

  

• Zachariah

  Hebrew, form of Zechariah

  "the Lord has remembered"

  This distinguished name still feels a bit ancient, but with the rise of such former graybeards as Jeremiah and Elijah, it also sounds child-friendly again, as does the Latin-Greek form Zacharias.…

  

• Ziva

  Hebrew

  "life"

  A zippy little international name. The Hebrew name relates to the month of Israeli independence, while the Slavic Ziva (also spelled Živa and Siva) is a goddess of love, life and fertility. The name…

  

• Zivala

• Zolie

• Zooey

  Literary name or variation of Zoe, Greek

  "life"

  Readers who remember J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey have probably forgotten that the character was male (nee Zachary). Nowadays the somewhat loopy spin on Zoe is associated with actress Zooey…

  

• Zooey Grace

• Zooey Kate

• Zuma