Azalea is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

name taken from the flower name, which is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

word ''azaleos'', meaning '' dry.''

Popularity

The name was in occasional use by the early 1900s along with other plant and flower names that were then in vogue for girls, but was never common. The fame of the rapper

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ), is an Australian rapper. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. She earned public recognition ...

drew attention to the name in the 2010s and it has been increasing in use for girls in recent years. The recent canonization of

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin Louis Martin (22 August 1823 – 29 July 1894) and Azélie-Marie "Zélie" Guérin Martin (23 December 1831 – 28 August 1877) were a French Catholic couple and the parents of five nuns, including Thérèse of Lisieux, a Carmelite canonized b ...

might also have inspired namesakes as ''Azélie'' and its short form '' Zélie'' are both sometimes considered

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

forms of the name. The name was among the one thousand most popular names for newborn girls in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for the first time in 2012. It has ranked among the top five hundred names for American girls since 2020. Variants of the name also in use in the United States include: ''Azaela'', ''Azaelia'', ''Azala'', ''Azalaya'', ''Azalayah'', ''Azaleah'', ''Azaleia'', ''Azalee'', ''Azaleya'', ''Azalia'', ''Azaliah'', ''Azalie'', ''Azaliya'', ''Azaliyah'', ''Azalya'', ''Azayla'', ''Azaylah'', ''Azaylea'', ''Azaylee'', ''Azaylia'', ''Azayliah'', ''Azealia'', ''Azelea'', ''Azelia'', ''Azelie'', ''Azella'', ''Azelya'', ''Azyla'', and ''Azylah''.

Notable people

Azealia Banks Azealia Amanda Banks ( ; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. S ...

(born 1991), American rapper * Helen Azalea “Poppy” Baring (1901-1980), British-American socialite *

, stage name of Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 1990), Australian rapper *

Azalea Quiñones Azalea Quiñones (27 May 1951 El Tigre) is a Venezuelan painter and poet. In her plastic arts work, she combines techniques of drawing, painting and collage, using materials such as charcoal, crayon, jute, oil, pastels, paint and silk. Her bo ...

(born 1951), Venezuelan painter and poet *

Azalea Sinclair Azalea Marguerite Sinclair (née Clark; born 15 August 1930) is a former New Zealand netball player. She played as goal shoot in the New Zealand team in their second Test match, in 1948 against Australia. Early life Sinclair was born Azalea Ma ...

(born 1930), former New Zealand netball player *

Azalea Thorpe Azalea Thorpe (10 April 1911 – 29 December 1988) was a Scottish-born American weaver and textile designer. Known for her innovative experimentation with both natural and synthetic materials, Thorpe was a featured instructor and lecturer throug ...

(1911-1988), Scottish-born American weaver and textile designer

Notes

English feminine given names Feminine given names Given names derived from plants or flowers {{given name