Possibly from Greek 'xenos' meaning 'stranger, guest,' or Persian 'zen' meaning 'woman.'
Zena carries multiple cultural streams that converge in a single elegant syllable-pair. In its most well-known Western form, Zena is a variant of Xena or Zenobia — names ultimately rooted in the Greek god Zeus, from whose name the element Zen- derives, carrying connotations of divine power and the sky. Zenobia was the formidable 3rd-century Queen of Palmyra who challenged Rome itself, ruling an empire that stretched across Egypt and much of the Near East before her defeat by Emperor Aurelian in 273 AD.
Her defiance made her name a lasting symbol of female strength and ambition. In Slavic and Persian traditions, Zena (or Zhena) takes an entirely different route, deriving from words meaning 'woman' or 'wife' — placing the name in the everyday rather than the mythological. In some African naming traditions, particularly in Ethiopian and Eritrean cultures, Zena has its own independent meaning and usage, adding yet another strand to its global fabric.
The name received a powerful modern boost through the television series Xena: Warrior Princess (1995–2001), which introduced the Z-spelling variant to audiences who responded to its warrior-woman energy. Zena, the softer respelling, filters out some of that pop-culture noise while retaining the strength. Short, internationally pronounceable, and complete in itself, Zena has the rare quality of feeling both ancient and contemporary — a name that requires no shortening and no explanation.