| Mahsa | Zarina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Like the moon | golden |
| Origin | Persian | persian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MAH-sah | zah-REE-nah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1983 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2022 (49) | 2015 (95) |
| In 2025 | 28 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Mahsa | Zarina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 211 | 403 |
| 2010s | 67 | 575 |
| 2000s | 15 | 286 |
| 1990s | 46 | 178 |
| 1980s | 12 | 113 |
| 1970s | 0 | 46 |
| 1960s | 0 | 11 |
Mahsa means “like the moon” in Persian.
From Persian 'zar' (gold), meaning 'golden' or 'made of gold'. Widely used in Persian, Urdu and across South Asia. (Unrelated Slavic 'tsar/zora' associations are sometimes attached but are secondary.)
Mahsa is more popular than Zarina today: about 28 US babies were given the name Mahsa in 2025, compared with 0 named Zarina.
Mahsa means Like the moon (Persian origin), while Zarina means golden (persian origin).
In US records, Mahsa first appears in 1983 and Zarina in 0, so Zarina has the longer recorded history.