You voted — here's the name of the Como Zoo's new baby giraffe

The zoo asked people to vote for their favorite of three names for the baby giraffe, born Nov. 6.

November 16, 2023 at 3:42PM
The new baby female giraffe was tucked under her mother, Zinnia, as she made her first public appearance at St. Paul’s Como Zoo and Conservatory on November 13, 2023. (Jerry Holt, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Voters have chosen the name Ivy for the newborn giraffe at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory from a list of three flowery choices.

The St. Paul zoo had asked the public to weigh in on a name for the new arrival and 17,000 people did. Ivy was the choice of about 45% of people who voted, with Dahlia in second place.

The new baby female giraffe was tucked under her mother Zinnia’s body, as she made her first public appearance at Como Zoo November 13 ,2023 in, St. Paul , Minn. (Jerry Holt, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The 6-foot-tall baby, born Nov. 6, weighed in at 132 pounds and was standing by her mother, Zinnia, within an hour of her birth, according to the St. Paul zoo.

The zoo turned to the public for help naming the baby giraffe, with a poll offering three choices; the third option was Aster. Zookeepers chose the three names in keeping with the flower and plant theme, since both Zinnia and Clover, another female giraffe at the zoo, fit that theme.

The zoo also recently lost Daisy, a female giraffe and longtime resident, and wanted to honor her with a botanical name.

The zoo revealed the name in time for Give to the Max Day on Thursday.

The name Ivy is increasingly popular for human babies. In 2022 it moved up seven spots to become the 42nd most popular name for girls, compared to to 49th in 2021, according to the Social Security Administration.

about the writer

Erin Adler

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Erin Adler is a suburban reporter covering Dakota and Scott counties for the Star Tribune, working breaking news shifts on Sundays. She previously spent three years covering K-12 education in the south metro and five months covering Carver County.

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