Zuzanna is a Slavic form of Susanna, from Hebrew meaning lily.
Zuzanna is the Polish and Scandinavian rendering of the ancient name Susanna, whose roots reach back through Latin and Greek to the Hebrew Shoshannah, meaning 'lily' or, in some interpretations, 'rose.' The name appears in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Daniel — specifically in the deuterocanonical Story of Susanna, where a virtuous woman falsely accused of adultery is vindicated through the wisdom of the young Daniel.
This narrative of feminine courage and divine justice gave the name an early association with moral integrity, making it popular across Jewish, Christian, and later Islamic traditions. Through the medieval and Renaissance periods, Susanna and its cognates spread across Europe, each language community bending the syllables to its own phonetic preferences: Suzanne in French, Susannah in English, Zuzana in Czech and Slovak, and Zuzanna in Polish. The Polish form carries a particular elegance, its doubled consonant giving it a visual and spoken weight that distinguishes it from softer western variants.
In Poland, Zuzanna has experienced a remarkable revival in the 21st century, consistently ranking among the most popular girls' names since the 2000s, valued for its classical roots, its ease of nicknames (Zuzia being especially beloved), and its crisp Slavic character. Outside Poland, it appeals to parents seeking an international name that feels genuinely rooted rather than invented — a name with centuries of use across multiple civilizations.