| Zarina | Roya | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | golden | Dream, vision |
| Origin | persian | Persian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | zah-REE-nah | ROH-yah |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1955 |
| Peak year | 2015 (95) | 2025 (76) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 76 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Zarina | Roya |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 403 | 343 |
| 2010s | 575 | 392 |
| 2000s | 286 | 219 |
| 1990s | 178 | 275 |
| 1980s | 113 | 234 |
| 1970s | 46 | 99 |
| 1960s | 11 | 42 |
| 1950s | 0 | 19 |
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.)
Roya means “dream” or “vision” in Persian.
Roya is more popular than Zarina today: about 76 US babies were given the name Roya in 2025, compared with 0 named Zarina.
Zarina means golden (persian origin), while Roya means Dream, vision (Persian origin).
In US records, Zarina first appears in 0 and Roya in 1955, so Zarina has the longer recorded history.