Names Deemed "formal"

This is a list of names in which the community's impression is formal.
gender
usage
impression
Zephaniah m Biblical
From the Hebrew name צְפַנְיָה (Tsefanya) meaning "Yahweh has hidden", derived from צָפַן (tsafan) meaning "to hide" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Zephaniah.
Zéphyrine f French (Rare)
French feminine form of Zephyrinus (see Zeferino).
Zephyrus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Zephyros (see Zephyr).
Zerachiel m Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Possibly means "command of God" in Hebrew. The Book of Enoch names him as one of the seven archangels. His name is sometimes rendered as Sarakiel.
Zeus m Greek Mythology
The name of a Greek god, related to the old Indo-European god *Dyēws, from the root *dyew- meaning "sky" or "shine". In Greek mythology he was the highest of the gods. After he and his siblings defeated the Titans, Zeus ruled over the earth and humankind from atop Mount Olympus. He had control over the weather and his weapon was a thunderbolt.... [more]
Zhannochka f Russian
Diminutive of Zhanna.
Zhen f & m Chinese
From Chinese (zhēn) meaning "precious, rare", (zhēn) meaning "real, genuine", (zhēn) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zheng m & f Chinese
From Chinese (zhèng) meaning "right, proper, correct" or (zhèng) meaning "government", as well as other hanja characters with a similar pronunciation.
Zhihao m & f Chinese
From Chinese (zhì) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or (zhì) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with (háo) meaning "brave, heroic, chivalrous". Many other character combinations are possible.
Zhong m & f Chinese
From Chinese (zhōng) meaning "middle" or (zhōng) meaning "loyalty, devotion". Other characters can form this name as well.
Ziemowit m Polish
From an old Polish name derived from the elements sěmĭja "family" and vitŭ "master, lord". This was the name of a semi-legendary duke of Poland. It was also borne by several other Piast rulers of Masovia.
Zinaida f Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian
Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian form of Zenaida.
Zinovia f Greek
Modern Greek transcription of Zenobia.
Zinoviya f Russian (Rare), Ukrainian (Rare)
Russian and Ukrainian form of Zenobia.
Zipporah f Biblical, Hebrew
From the Hebrew name צִפּוֹרָה (Tsippora), derived from צִפּוֹר (tsippor) meaning "bird". In the Old Testament this is the name of the Midianite wife of Moses. She was the daughter of the priest Jethro.
Zlatan m Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Slovene
Derived from South Slavic zlato meaning "gold", a derivative of Old Slavic zolto.
Zoltán m Hungarian, Slovak
Possibly related to the Turkish title sultan meaning "king, sultan". This was the name of a 10th-century ruler of Hungary, also known as Zsolt.
Zopyros m Ancient Greek
Means "glowing" in Greek. This was the name of a Persian nobleman who aided his king Darius in the capture of Babylon. He did this by mutilating himself and then going to the Babylonians claiming that it had been Darius who did it to him. After gaining their trust he betrayed them.
Zornitsa f Bulgarian
Means "morning star" in Bulgarian.
Zoroaster m History
English form of Zarathustra, via the Greek form Ζωροάστρης (Zoroastres).
Zosimos m Ancient Greek
Greek form of Zosimus.
Zosimus m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Ζώσιμος (Zosimos), a Greek name derived from ζώσιμος (zosimos) meaning "viable" or "likely to survive". This was the name of several early saints and a pope.
Zoticus m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ζωτικός (Zotikos), derived from ζωτικός (zotikos) meaning "full of life". This was the name of several early saints.
Zsanett f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Jeannette.
Zsigmond m Hungarian
Hungarian form of Sigmund.
Zsófia f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Sophia.
Zsuzsanna f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Susanna.
Zuleika f Literature
Meaning uncertain, possibly of Arabic origin. According to medieval tradition, notably related by the 15th-century Persian poet Jami, this was the name of the biblical Potiphar's wife. She has been a frequent subject of poems and tales.
Zulekha f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زليخا (see Zulaykha).
Zulfiqar m Arabic, Urdu
From Arabic ذو الفقار (Dhū al-Faqār) interpreted as meaning "cleaver of the spine", derived from ذو (dhū) meaning "possessor, holder" and فقار (faqār) meaning "spine, vertebra". This was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's sword, also used by his son-in-law Ali.
Zümra f Turkish
From Turkish zümrüt meaning "emerald", derived via Arabic from Greek σμάραγδος (smaragdos).
Zuriel m Biblical
Means "my rock is God" in Hebrew, derived from צוּר (tsur) meaning "rock" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this name is borne by a chief of the Merarite Levites at the time of the Exodus.
Zvezdana f Serbian, Slovene
Serbian and Slovene form of Zvjezdana.
Zvjezdana f Croatian
Derived from Croatian zvijezda meaning "star".
Zvonimir m Croatian
Derived from the Slavic elements zvonŭ "sound, chime" and mirŭ "peace, world". Dmitar Zvonimir was an 11th-century Croatian king.
Zvonimira f Croatian
Feminine form of Zvonimir.
Zygfryd m Polish
Polish form of Siegfried.
Zygmunt m Polish
Polish form of Sigmund.