Zena has several sources: it is a short form of Zenobia, the Greek name of the warrior queen of Palmyra that means "life of Zeus", a spelling of the Greek Xenia, "hospitality" or "guest", and in Arabic and Ethiopian families a form of Zeina, "beauty". The spelling with Z also recalls the television heroine Xena. Zena ranked number 3168 in 2000, improved to a peak of number 2108 in 2019 and ranks number 2457 in 2025 with 73 girls.