Zelda is a diminutive of Griselda. Griselda originates in Germanic languages and means "fighting in darkness". Some sources also suggest the meaning "stone-grey". Griselda was the name of several operas by different composers, including Vivaldi. She also appears as a character in tales by Boccaccio, Petrarch and Chaucer. In the United States the name is rather rare and considered old-fashioned today.