Zenobia

Where Zenobia comes from

From Latin Zēnobiā, from Ancient Greek Ζηνοβίᾱ (Zēnobíā), name of a third century Queen of Palmyra. Ostensibly from Ζήνων (Zḗnōn), an ancient derivative of Ζεύς (Zeús), but also suggested to be a rendering of the Arabic زَيْنَب (zaynab, “Zaynab”). First recorded as an English given name in Cornwall in 1586.
— Wiktionary's entry for Zenobia
  • Ancient Greek
  • 4 syllables
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 100
    Zenobia of Armenia born
    wife of Rhadamistus
  2. 1881
    First appearance
    #740 among girls, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  3. 1887
    Zenobia Camprubí born
    Spanish-American writer and linguist
  4. 1909
    Peak, #669
    35 babies named Zenobia — more than any year before or since.
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from Ancient Greek.
Namesakes
  • Zenobia of Armenia · wife of Rhadamistus, 100–1
  • Zenobia Camprubí · Spanish-American writer and linguist, 1887–1956
  • Zenobia Shroff · Indian actress, born 1965
  • Zenobia Powell Perry · American composer and composition teacher, 1908–2004
  • Zenobia Kloppers · South African actress and singer, born 1974

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.