Zendaya is a modern name made famous by the American actress and singer Zendaya, born in 1996, whose mother derived it from the Shona word tendai, meaning "to give thanks" or "thankful". Before her rise the name was essentially unknown as a given name. Zendaya entered the US top 1000 in 2014, peaked at number 680 in 2022, around the time of her Emmy wins for Euphoria, and ranks 1189 in 2025.