Zane

Where Zane comes from

* The usage seems to date from the American writer Zane Grey (1875-1939), born Pearl Zane Gray. It was the surname of his mother's family, of unknown meaning. * Sometimes explained as a form of John because of the resemblance to Shane, or because Italian surnames such as Zanelli and Zanetto derive from the equivalent name Giovanni. * In some cases, a respelling of Zayn, which is of Arabic origin.
— Wiktionary's entry for Zane
  • 1 syllable
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 1872
    Zane Grey born
    American novelist
  2. 1914
    First appearance
    #2,915 among boys, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  3. 1987
    Zane Holtz born
    Canadian actor
  4. 2018
    Peak, #199
    2,033 babies named Zane — more than any year before or since.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name transferred from the surname.
Namesakes
  • Zane Grey · American novelist, 1872–1939
  • Zane Holtz · Canadian actor, born 1987
  • Zane Maloney · Barbadian racing driver, born 2003
  • Zane Weir · Italian athlete, born 1995
  • Zane Phillips · American actor, born 1993

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.