Amazi
A name of African origin meaning "beautiful, lovely, lush".
Name Census estimates that about 177 living Americans carry the first name Amazi. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 89.3% of registrations being male. The average person named Amazi today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Amazi births was 2023 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Amazi. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
177
~ 1 in 1,936,465 Americans
Peak year
2023
67 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,628
Tracked since 2019
Gender
Gender distribution for Amazi
Amazi leans heavily male at 89.3% of total registrations, but 19 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Amazi as a male name
- Ranked #2,628 in 2024
- 50 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (58 births)
Amazi as a female name
- Ranked #10,356 in 2023
- 9 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (9 births)
Popularity
Amazi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Amazi from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 170 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Amazi by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Amazi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Amazis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Georgia, Texas, Virginia recorded the most babies named Amazi, while Louisiana, Alabama, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Amazi
The name Amazi has its origins in the Bantu languages spoken in parts of central and southern Africa. It likely derives from the root word "-mazi" or "-masi", which means "water" or "river" in several Bantu tongues. The name may have initially been given to children born near bodies of water, or it could have symbolized qualities like fluidity, purity, or life-giving sustenance.
In some historical records from the 15th century, variations of the name, such as "Amazhi" and "Amasi", appear as references to tribal leaders or warriors from the region now known as Malawi. However, it's difficult to ascertain the accuracy of these accounts due to the limited written records from that era.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Amazi was a Zulu warrior and advisor to King Shaka in the early 19th century. He was known for his strategic prowess and played a crucial role in several military campaigns that helped solidify the Zulu Kingdom's dominance in the region.
In the late 19th century, Amazi Mapumulo, a prominent Zulu chieftain, was recorded as a signatory to several treaties with the British colonial authorities, representing the interests of his people during the turbulent period of European expansion in southern Africa.
Jumping forward to the 20th century, Amazi Bhengu was a renowned South African artist and sculptor, whose works captured the essence of traditional Zulu culture and the struggles of his people during the apartheid era. He was born in 1929 and passed away in 2004, leaving behind a rich artistic legacy.
Another notable figure was Amazi Ntshanga, a South African writer and activist who was born in 1979. His literary works, including the award-winning novel "The Reactive," explored themes of identity, race, and the complexities of post-apartheid South Africa. He has been celebrated for his contribution to contemporary African literature.
While the name Amazi has deep roots in the Bantu cultures of Africa, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carrying with it the rich tapestry of cultural significance and historical resonance.
People
Amazi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Amazi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Amazi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Amazi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 177 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Amazi going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,936,465 US residents.
Is Amazi a common name?
We classify Amazi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 178 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Amazi most popular?
The single biggest year for Amazi was 2023, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Amazi is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Amazi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Amazi a male name?
Yes, 89.3% of people registered as Amazi in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Amazi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Amazi in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Amazi can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Amazi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.