The first name Arizona
A girl’s name from Basque meaning “small spring”, “good oak”, “silver-bearing”.
Pronounced /ˌæɹɪˈzoʊnə/ 4 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Basque origin
Arizona means “small spring”, “good oak”, “silver-bearing” in Basque.
Uncertain. Possibly from O'odham alĭ ṣonak (literally “small spring”) (traditionally through the Spanish intermediary form Arizonac; compare modern Arizona), a name initially applied to an area around a silver-mining camp in Sonora. Alternatively, perhaps from Basque haritz ona (literally “good oak”), as the area had many Basque herders, and a descendant of them established the ranchería of Arizona (circa 1735) in Sonora. Suggestions of derivation from *arizuma, supposedly a Nahuatl word meaning “silver-bearing”, are considered implausible, and derivation from árida zona (literally “dry zone”) is considered a folk etymology.
More names that mean water.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 6 girls were named Arizona, making it the 3,705th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2017, with 14 births (#1,995).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Arizona with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Arizona at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 86 girls born in the United States were named Arizona, the 2,156th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2020, when 153 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Arizona in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Arizona in Czech, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese too.
Famous people named Arizona
3 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Arizona MuseAmerican model, born 1988
- Arizona ReidAmerican basketball player, born 1986
- Ma BarkerAmerican mother of several criminals and Barker Gang leader (1873–1935)
Questions
- What does the name Arizona mean?
- Arizona means “small spring”, “good oak”, “silver-bearing” in Basque.
- What is the origin of the name Arizona?
- Uncertain. Possibly from O'odham alĭ ṣonak (literally “small spring”) (traditionally through the Spanish intermediary form Arizonac; compare modern Arizona), a name initially applied to an area around a silver-mining camp in Sonora. Alternatively, perhaps from Basque haritz ona (literally “good…
- How popular is the name Arizona?
- In 2025, 6 girls born in England and Wales were named Arizona, ranking 3,705th. Its peak was 2017, with 14 births.
- Is Arizona a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 96% of the 3,695 US babies named Arizona since 1880 were girls.
- When was Arizona most popular?
- 2020 in the United States, when 153 babies were named Arizona, its highest rank at 1,423rd.
- How do you pronounce Arizona?
- Arizona is /ˌæɹɪˈzoʊnə/, 4 syllables.