Zane is an English surname of uncertain origin, usually explained as a form of John, "God is gracious". The Western novelist Zane Grey, who took it from his mother's family, the founders of Zanesville, Ohio, made it a given name. Zane has been in the US top 1000 throughout this century, rising from number 246 in 2000 to a peak of 199 in 2018 and ranking 324th among boys' names in 2025.