How to say it
ZI · on
/ˈzaɪ.ən/
Masculine
Zion
Zion (the hill of Jerusalem)
What it means
Hebrew Tziyon, originally the name of a fortified hill in Jerusalem captured by King David; by extension, all of Jerusalem and (in religious tradition) the Jewish homeland, the Promised Land, or heaven.
Zion comes from the Hebrew Tziyon (Sion in Greek, Sion or Zion in Latin), originally the name of a fortified hill in Jerusalem that King David captured around 1000 BC. The name expanded to mean all of Jerusalem, then the Temple Mount, then the Jewish homeland (Zionism). In Christian tradition Zion sometimes refers to heaven or the church. As a given name Zion is recent in the US: rare before 2000, then climbing fast. Lauryn Hill's son Zion (born 1997, the subject of her song To Zion) was an early high-profile use; Zion Williamson (the basketball star) is the modern anchor. It entered the US top 200 in 2014. Single syllable... actually two syllables. No common short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #125 in 2023, currently #142 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pronunciation
ZY-on, two syllables (ZAI in IPA). Not zee-on or shun.
- Pop culture
Lauryn Hill's son Zion (born 1997, the song To Zion on Miseducation) and basketball star Zion Williamson are the two strongest English-language anchors.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Mount Zion Fortified hill in Jerusalem captured by King David, c. 1000 BC
- Zion Williamson NBA forward, first overall pick 2019, New Orleans Pelicans
Spelling variants
- Sion
- Tziyon
Names with the same feeling
See Zion from another angle
By meaning
By style