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Zadie

Girl name · 3 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Zadie: 3 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 3 births in 2024.

You may know Zadie as a modern name, popularised by the acclaimed British author Zadie Smith (born Sadie Smith, she adopted the variant spelling herself). Its roots lie in Sadie, a diminutive of Sarah, the Hebrew word for “princess.” While Zadie can also appear as a Yiddish term for a grandfather, in English-speaking countries it is almost exclusively a girl’s name, chosen for its lively, distinctive sound. The name gained wider notice in the early 2000s following Smith’s literary success, and it shares phonetic kinship with the Arabic name Zaida, meaning “prosperous.” No major place names derive from Zadie, but its freshness and literary association make it an appealing choice for parents seeking something both familiar and uncommon.