Zaira is of uncertain origin and is usually explained as a form of the Arabic Zahra, "flower" or "radiant". Voltaire's tragedy Zaire of 1732 and Bellini's opera Zaira of 1829 carried the name into Italy and Spain, where it is still at home today. In the United States Zaira has moved up from number 1718 in 2000 to number 1081 in 2025, its best rank so far, with most of that climb coming after 2020.