This list includes 10 Literary girl names that start with Z, from “Zaynab” to “Zémire”. These names come from novels, poems, fairy tales, and myth, and suit expectant parents, writers, and literary fans.

Literary girl names that start with Z are female names originating in literature, often bearing cultural or symbolic weight. For example, “Zémire” comes from an 18th-century French fairy tale, showing how literature creates lasting name choices.

Below you’ll find the table with Name, Pronunciation, Origin, Meaning, and Notes.

Name: The actual given name as used in literature, so you can quickly spot the exact spelling and form.

Pronunciation: A simple phonetic respelling helps you say the name confidently and decide if it fits your sound preferences.

Origin: The author, work, and original language show the name’s literary source and rich cultural background for you.

Meaning: Etymology or literary significance explains what the name denotes, offering thematic or linguistic insight for naming choices.

Notes: Contextual details, notable characters, and usage tips give you practical background to evaluate each name’s suitability.

Literary girl names that start with Z

NameOriginPronunciationMeaning
ZuleikaMax Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobson (novel), English, 1911ZOO-LAY-kahPersian/Arabic: “brilliant, fair”
ZuleikhaGuzel Yakhina, Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes (novel), Russian, 2015ZOO-LAY-kahVariant of Zuleika; “brilliant, fair”
ZaynabMuhammad Husayn Haykal, Zaynab (novel), Arabic, 1913ZAY-nabArabic: “father’s jewel”
ZoraidaMiguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote (novel), Spanish, Parts I & II, 1605/1615zoh-RY-dahArabic-origin: “golden; captivating”
ZemfiraAlexander Pushkin, “The Gypsies” (poem), Russian, 1824zehm-FEE-rahPossibly Persian: “wild; gem”
ZosiaAdam Mickiewicz, Pan Tadeusz (epic poem), Polish, 1834ZOH-shahDiminutive of Zofia: “wisdom”
ZerlinaLorenzo Da Ponte & W. A. Mozart, Don Giovanni (libretto/opera), Italian, 1787zer-LEE-nahItalian diminutive; affectionate form
ZoeJohn Scalzi, Zoe’s Tale (novel), English, 2008ZOH-eeGreek: “life”
ZerbinettaHugo von Hofmannsthal & Richard Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos (libretto/opera), German, 1912zer-bi-NET-ahItalianate diminutive; playful name
ZémireJean-François Marmontel (libretto) & André Grétry, Zémire et Azor (opera), French, 1771ZAY-meerFrench operatic name

Descriptions

Zuleika
Title heroine; beguiling Oxford beauty who inspires mass idolization, a comic satire of Edwardian society.
Zuleikha
Protagonist, a Tatar peasant woman whose deportation and resilience frame Yakhina’s Stalin-era novel.
Zaynab
Title heroine of an early Egyptian realist novel; depicts village life, love, and social change.
Zoraida
Moorish woman in a framed tale in Don Quixote who flees to join a Christian lover; memorable interstory figure.
Zemfira
Romani heroine whose tragic love affair forms the emotional center of Pushkin’s narrative poem.
Zosia
Innocent young woman and object of suitors’ affections in Poland’s national epic.
Zerlina
Peasant bride; flirtatious, sympathetic figure who resists Don Giovanni in Mozart’s opera.
Zoe
Title protagonist of Scalzi’s Old Man’s War retelling; youthful, resilient central narrator in science fiction.
Zerbinetta
Commedia-like soubrette whose sparkling aria and flirtatious wit contrast Ariadne’s seriousness.
Zémire
Heroine in an 18th-century operatic Beauty-and-the-Beast; widely staged across Europe in its era.
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