The story
* The usage seems to date from the American writer Zane Grey (1875-1939), born Pearl Zane Gray. It was the surname of his mother's family, of unknown meaning. * Sometimes explained as a form of John because of the resemblance to Shane, or because Italian surnames such as Zanelli and Zanetto derive from the equivalent name Giovanni. * In some cases, a respelling of Zayn, which is of Arabic origin.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.