Origins & Meanings And Examples Of The Male/Female Name "Zion"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post present information about the origins and meanings of the male/female name "Zion".

Information about the popularity of the personal name "Zion" in the United States and elsewhere is also included in this post along with comments about & examples of this name.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and onomastic* purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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*One definition of "onomastics" is "the science or study of the origin and forms of proper names of persons or places". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onomastics
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/01/why-zion-and-mt-zion-are-frequently.html for a 2020 pancocojams post entitled "Why "Zion" And "Mt. Zion" Are Frequently Used In Names Of Black (African American) Churches".

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ORIGINS AND MEANINGS OF THE PERSONAL NAME "ZION"
Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Zion"
"Mount Zion (Hebrew: הַר צִיּוֹן‬, Har Tsiyyon; Arabic: جبل صهيون‎, Jabal Sahyoun) is a hill in Jerusalem just outside the walls of the Old City. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David (2 Samuel 5:7, 1 Chronicles 11:5; 1 Kings 8:1, 2 Chronicles 5:2) and later for the Temple Mount, but its meaning has shifted and it is now used as the name of ancient Jerusalem's Western Hill.[1][2] In a wider sense, the term is also used for the entire Land of Israel.[3]

Etymology
The etymology of the word Zion is uncertain.[4][5][6] Mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Samuel (2 Samuel 5:7) as the name of the Jebusite fortress conquered by King David, its origin likely predates the Israelites.[4][5] If Semitic, it may be associated with the Hebrew root ''ṣiyyôn ("castle"). Though not spoken in Jerusalem until hundreds of years later, the name is similar in Arabic and may be connected to the root ṣiyya ("dry land") or the Arabic šanā ("protect" or "citadel").[5][6] It might also be related to the Arabic root ṣahî ("ascend to the top") or ṣuhhay ("tower" or "the top of the mountain").[6] A non-Semitic relationship to the Hurrian word šeya ("river" or "brook") has also been suggested.[6]"....

[...]

The phrase Har Tzion, lit. "Mount Zion", appears nine times in the Tanakh.[8] It is spelled with a Tzadi and not Zayin.

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Excerpt #2
From http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/boy/zion
"Zion is a biblical term for the promised land. For Rastafarians it means a utopia or heaven on earth, and it is also widely associated with the drive for a Jewish homeland and with the ideals of the Mormon church. Zion wasn't often considered as a name until musicians Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley (son of Rasta legend Bob Marley) chose it for their son. Scores of parents are now following their example."
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A pancocojams post on Lauryn Hill's song "Zion" will be published in the near future and the link to that post will be included here.

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Excerpt #3
https://www.thebump.com/b/zion-baby-name
ZION
[name meaning] HIGHEST POINT
ORIGIN: Hebrew POPULARITY: 295
Pronounced ZYE-on, this is a unisex name of Hebrew origin that’s mostly chosen for boys. A zion was a citadel that was in the center of Jerusalem, which explains why it means “highest point.” Today it’s known as the biblical term for the Promised Land; Zionism refers to the movement to establish a Jewish homeland. To Rastafarians, a religious group in Jamaica, the name means "utopia." When singer Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley, son of reggae superstar Bob Marley, called their son Zion in 1997, the name became an instant hit. Chicago Bulls player Dwayne Wade also called his baby boy Zion in 2007.

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Excerpt #4
From https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi
"Popularity of name Zion
For each year, we show the rank for Zion and a bar representing the popularity of that name. The longer the bar, the more popular the name. The more popular the name in a given year, the numerically lower the rank, with rank 1 being the most popular.

Year Rank Popularity of male name Zion" [Pancocojams Editor's Note. This is shown by the length of bar graph with the highest rank being the longest bar.]
"2018 183
2017 199
2016 213
2015 227
2014 255
2013 236
2012 235
2011 245
2010 231
2009 240
2008 230
2007 235
2006 265
2005 293
2004 312
2003 329
2002 333
2001 324
2000 300
1999 274
1998 695

Years where ranks are the same does not imply that the number of births are the same. Data are missing for 18 years where the name Zion is not in the top 1000 most popular names. Name data are from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States.

More information for male name Zion
For 2018, the number of births with name Zion is 2153, which represents 0.112 percent of total male births in 2018.

The year when the name Zion was most popular is also 2018."
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I haven't found the data for 2019.

My position is that the use of the name "Zion" in the 1999 movie The Matrix as the name of the last remaining human city is one of the main reasons for the large increase in the use of the name "Zion" as a male name from rank #695 in 1998 to rank #274 in 1999. I also believe that Lauryn Hill's 1998 song "To Zion" is another reason for the increase in the selection of the name "Zion" for males in the United States in 1999 and afterwards.

Here's information about The Matrix:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_(franchise)
The Matrix is an American media franchise created by the Wachowskis. The series primarily consists of a trilogy of science fiction action films beginning with The Matrix (1999) and continuing with two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both in 2003), all written and directed by the Wachowskis and produced by Joel Silver."...

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From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_(The_Matrix)
"Zion is a fictional city in The Matrix films. It is the last human city on the planet Earth after a cataclysmic nuclear war between mankind and sentient machines, which resulted in artificial lifeforms dominating the world.

Religious meaning
Stephen Faller writes in Beyond the Matrix that Christianity is the most dominant religious theme in the Matrix films and that "Zion is biblically regarded as the city of God".[1] The book Philosophers Explore the Matrix writes that "The last remaining human city, Zion, [is] synonymous in Judaism and Christianity with (the heavenly) Jerusalem".[2]

Racial matters
Faller says that Zion is presented as a contrast to the Matrix, "The racial constituency of Zion is much less European and Anglo than present-day America. We are shifting the paradigm from the racially charged medium of the Matrix, where the subtext is so clearly contrasted in the extremes of black and white, to the imagined world of Zion, which is dominated by people of color."[1] One chapter in The Matrix Trilogy: Cyberpunk Reloaded writes, "Black spirituality is evoked in the Matrix films... by the use of Zion for the underground city of free humans populated primarily by black people, suggesting the dream of Christianised slaves to find a safe haven in 'the promised land' and the Rastafarian belief in an utopian society."

Another chapter writes, "The Matrix Reloaded displays black 'life' in a scene reminiscent of countless Hollywood jungle melodramas when the predominantly black population of Zion engages in frenzied dancing to the pounding rhythm of drums. In Hollywood, the war between artifice and reality is drawn along racial lines."[3] Adilifu Nama writes in Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film, "The racial politics of Zion appears to be based on a multicultural model of racial equality and participation. In the Zion setting, a racial utopia is presented where blacks, whites, and other people of color live and work together, and in many cases whites are subordinate but not subservient to blacks."...
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This excerpt is reformatted to enhance it's readability.

The "Racial Matters" excerpt given above may be one explanation about why some people in the United States think that "Zion" is a "Black name". The publicity surrounding the fact that some African American celebrities gave the name "Zion" to their child* and/or the fact that an African American celebrity (such as professional basketball player Zion Williamson (born 2000) also contribute to the mistaken belief that "Zion" is a "Black name".

*For example, as quoted above, "singer Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley, son of reggae superstar Bob Marley, called their son Zion in 1997...[and] Chicago Bulls player Dwayne Wade also called his baby boy Zion in 2007."

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Excerpt #5
From https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi
"Popularity of name Zion
For each year, we show the rank for Zion and a bar representing the popularity of that name. The longer the bar, the more popular the name. The more popular the name in a given year, the numerically lower the rank, with rank 1 being the most popular.
Year Rank Popularity of female name Zion" [Pancocojams Editor's Note. This is shown by the length of bar graph with the highest rank being the longest bar.]

Year Rank Popularity of female name Zion
2017 926
2016 929
2015 896
2014 908
2013 822
2012 778
2011 611
2010 691
2009 735
2008 696
2007 574
2006 811
2005 988

Data are missing for 26 years where the name Zion is not in the top 1000 most popular names. Name data are from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States.

More information for female name Zion
For 2017, the number of births with name Zion is 286, which represents 0.015 percent of total female births in 2017.

The year when the name Zion was most popular is 2007. In that year, the number of births is 524, which represents 0.025 percent of total female births in 2007.

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EXAMPLES OF THE MALE/FEMALE NAME "ZION"
Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_Williamson
"Zion Williamson is an American college basketball player for the Duke Blue Devils in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He attended Spartanburg Day School in Spartanburg, South Carolina. As senior forward with the Griffins, he was ranked among the top high school players of his class and was named McDonald's All-American in 2018. Williamson gained national recognition in high school for his slam dunks and has received several offers from major NCAA Division I programs. On January 20, 2018, Williamson announced that he will play for Duke joining the number 1 and 3 recruits in the country, R.J. Barrett and Cameron Reddish.

Early life
Williamson was born July 6, 2000, in Salisbury, North Carolina.[1] He was named after Mount Zion, which appears in the Bible"...
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Zion Williamson's middle name is the Arabic male name "Lateef".

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Excerpt #2
From http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/24862/top-10-celebrity-baby-names-inspired-bible/#5e1LyxRlVmqV6zh1.97 Top 10 Celebrity Baby Names Inspired by the Bible
By Staff Writer November 24, 2014
..."A recent phenomenon is taking place in Hollywood however, in which celebrities are giving their children Hebrew and Biblically inspired names.

Deborah Kolben, editor of the Jewish parenting website Kveller.com, explained in an interview with Jewish Week several years ago that many Americans are looking to give their children “interesting and different names.” Many parents “want their kids’ names to stand out and a lot of modern Israeli names seem a little different.”…

Ben Zobrist and Julianna Zobrist – Son Zion Benjamin Zobrist. Son of the Christian singer/songwriter and the Tampa Bay Rays baseball player, Zion is an alternate name for Jerusalem and Benjamin is the second son of Jacob and Rachel. The word Zion is first found in II Samuel 5:7.”...

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Excerpt #3
From https://www.google.com/search?q=fantasia+barrino+daughter&oq=Fantasia+Barrino.&aqs=chrome.6.69i57j0l7.5919j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
"Fantasia Barrino/Daughter
Zion Quari Barrino born in 2001"

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Excerpt #4
From http://www.babynameshub.com/boy-names/Zion.html

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: These selected comments are given in chronological order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.]

1. "My son's name is Zion (pronounced Zy-yon) Of course, people want to say Zi-an); however, I tend to correct them and he does the same. I have not met too many people with this name. Although, I have heard of a few that live in other states. People usually relate it to a biblical meaning which was and is the intent. Zion means "City of God." I would definitely recommend this name because I always get the reaction that it is original and unique. Two thumbs way up!!!" May. 28, 2006:

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2. "Many children in Eritrea (North-East Africa) are named Zion, particularly girls. It's a beautiful name!" Oct. 11, 2008

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3. "I have three children Brazil Danae(girl), Zaire Ezana James(boy) and my baby boy's name is Zion Heru due in April. Zion is a beautiful name for a boy or a girl but i would spell the girl with an x like Xion." Mar. 2, 2009

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4. "Zion, beautiful Zion! When I was six months pregnant I was sitting in church and the preacher was talking about Israel and Zionism. Instantly God said to me that Zion is what I should name my baby boy. Even if I were to have a baby girl I would still call her Zion." Dec. 21, 2008


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5. "My name is Zion and live in oregon also, i saw someone else was also. My parents named me the not for any religious reason or for its meaning. My namesake was Zion National Park actually, which was named by Mormons, but my parents did choose it for its for the religious meanings. Besides the all the historic meanings I still really like my name. It was hard in elementry and middle school, people would hear my name and kinda look at me if i'm serious or not. Once in high school and now that i am in college people look at me still but tell me that its a really nice and cool name. Besides the historic meanings I still really like my name and glad i have it if anything just for the rarity of it. A little trick I tell people to get my name right is that its Lion with a "Z" and every seems to get it right then." Jan. 14, 2009

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6. "My son is 2months and called Zion... if i had a girl she would have been called Zion also.. i have loved the name since i was a child. It is very unique and it's various meanings, my home place, highest point, promise land and so on all have personal meaning for me!! I am Nigerian and alot of my family members where like what a strong name are you sure you want to call him that, everyone comments on the name. I know my son is going to live up to his GREAT name right now we call him Prince Zion as he rules this roost...lol I love it! i love it's greatness.. Go Zion!!" Jan. 18, 2009

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7. "I named my litttle angel Zion he is 7 years old now, and evvvveryone that hears it loves the name and wants to know the meaning behind it. I am Jamaican and married to a Jamaican who's mother and great grandmother is aso Jewish(yes there are many Jamaican Jews). It is a Hebrew name but also a Christian name which is what I am. I think a name can set the precedent for the rest of a persons life, and my child's personality has some serious star quality." Aug. 22, 2010

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8. "I have always loved the name Zion andI am the biggest Lauryn Hill fan. On my way home from finding out that I was having a girl, for some reason I was listening to The miseducation of Lauryn Hill and she has a song on there "To Zion" talking about her son. and when i sat there and really listened to the words I knew that it was destiny that I named my daughter Zion" Aug. 25, 2010:

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9. "My son is 12 and I had the name Zion picked before I knew the gender, and before I knew that it would be so popular. I was kinda hoping it would be more origional at the time. All I know is that this kiddo kicked like crazy when I played Marley on my belly, esp. the song "Jammin'" when he sang "Holy Mt Zion". That's where I got the name. I looked it up in the Bible and it meant "sunny" in Hebrew as well as other things like "promised land". He has suffered no grief for his name, in fact people love it. Later, I found that a friend had a granddaughter named Zion. It works either way. Beautiful, strong name." Oct. 29, 2010

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10. "I'm 20 year old girl with the name Zion. At the begining I used to hate my name. I was even embarresed to introduce my name to others. And i've been always blaming my parents for giving me that name. Although some of my friends told me that Zion is a wonderful name, i've been hating it. But after knowing the meaning behind it, i started to be proud of my name. And now most people are telling me that i've got a nice name. And i'm grateful." Jun. 28, 2013

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11. "I have two children, my 5 year old daughter Marley. And my three month old son Zion, I had Marley's name picked for her befor I even knew her mother,haha But we really struggled with the Boys name, Then sitting down with my family the name just clicked.. Its a perfect named, People always do a double take when we tell them the name.. But we dont care, I love it. We call him "Z-Boy"." Feb. 2, 2016

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Excerpt #6
From http://www.behindthename.com/name/zion/comments

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: These selected comments are numbered for referencing purposes only.]

1."The name "Zion" is Hebrew in origin. Although the meaning of the name is not generally agreed upon, the popular meanings "highest point", "raised up", and/or "monument" are very accurate and Biblically sound."
-- Anonymous User 9/9/2007

2. "I don't mean to offend anyone, but I think if you live outside Israel, Zion would not be a good name. It would arouse the anger of anti-Zionists, Palestinians and jihadists. I don't think parents should pick names that are obviously strong political statements."
-- Anonymous User 7/18/2009

3. "This is a BEAUTIFUL name!

Anyone who finds this name offensive is highly ignorant. The self-proclaimed "anti-Zionists" likely don't really know what Zionism is (political and/or religious/philosophical Zionism), and especially don't know what Zion is.

Calling this traditional Jewish name offensive is as ignorant as calling the names Muhammad, Islam, or Jihad offensive."
-- Tiger Lilly 6/16/2013

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4. "It has a very deep meaning for those awaiting Christs return and the new Jerusalem. That is why it's offensive to some, and so was Christ. The only thing that might sway me from using it, is the fact that it's really become more of an African American name."
-- Anonymous User 2/5/2014

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5. "The correct Hebrew pronunciation is 'tsee-OHN', the Anglicized pronunciation is ZHY-on. A commen Hebrew variant is 'Ben-Tzion' which means 'Son of Zion'."
-- Anonymous User 8/21/2014

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6. "People are so silly. Zion is a primarily African-American name? I wasn't aware of race names; cultural maybe, but not race. We chose Zion, pronounced Zi-ahn for my niece because of its Biblical ties. Her middle name, Dior was chosen simply because we are name-brand whores. LOL."
-queenofbees 1/25/2016

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7. "Funny enough, my name is Zion and my middle name is Israel.
Zion is a holy name in many religions. In many religions it's basically means redemption land.
In rastafarie: Zion stands for a utopia place of unity.
In the Christian bible: it's is the cornerstone of which gods holy temple was built upon. Temple with the same name 'Zion.
And it pretty much means the same in every mainstream Christian/ Jewish religion.

Zion is also known as the seat of power in Israel or the kingdom of God and will be the name of God's new land when the messiah returns....

In ancient Egypt Zion was translated as (sion).
Sion was the 4 shafts of Giza that align with the consolations:
Names of the consolations in order, which are all Egyptian gods:
Set
Isis
Osiris
Nefteru

Although I'm pretty sure Zion originated to ancient Egypt.

Zion is not just an African American name. In the south pacific especially Melanesia Zion and Israel are common. But not as much for Zion."
-zionlion 9/5/2016

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Excerpt #7
From http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/boy/zion

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: These selected comments are numbered for referencing purposes only.]

Comments and insights on the name Zion:


1. "Zion was also associated with the anti-slavery movement in the pre-Civil War era."

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2. "I love this name, but I fear it may be taken as a political and/or religious statement."

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3. "I love the way this name sounds -- I think it's majestic and noble, and it really rolls off the tongue. However, like the above comment, I'm also worried it might seem like a political/religious statement. Maybe I'll use it as a middle name instead?"

Personal experiences with the name Zion
In Israel there are a lot of people named Zion, I love this name. It symbolizes the love of Zion (another name for Israel).

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