How Many People Are Named Zen?
An estimated 3,053 people in the United States have the first name Zen. It is used for both genders, with 82.1% male. The average bearer is 11 years old, and Zen peaked in popularity in 2022 with 320 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Zen as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Zen paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Zen is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 11, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
3,053
About 1 in 112,268 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
82.1% confidence
Average Age
11
years old
Peak Year
2022
320 births
Total Registered
3,080
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Zen
Zen is predominantly male (82.1%), though 552 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Zen as a male name
Ranked #959 in 2024
236 male births in 2024
Peak: 2022 (255 births)
Zen as a female name
Ranked #3,745 in 2024
41 female births in 2024
Peak: 2022 (65 births)
Zen: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Zen span from the 1960s to the 2020s, covering 6 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2020s, when 1,323 babies were registered. Zen remains highly popular today, with recent registration numbers near its historical peak.
Zen by Decade
How has Zen tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Zen by State
Birth registrations for Zen span all 22 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Tennessee, Connecticut, Wisconsin. On average, about 63 Zens were registered per state.
Zen + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Zen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Zen
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
Zen: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zen?
We estimate approximately 3,053 people named Zen are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 112,268 Americans share this first name.
Is Zen a common name?
Zen is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 95.2% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 3,080 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Zen most popular?
Zen reached peak popularity in 2022, when 320 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Zen is approximately 11 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Zen a male name?
Zen is predominantly male. 82.1% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Zen Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Zen Smith, Zen Johnson, Zen Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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