Zaki
A masculine Arabic name meaning "pure" or "intelligent".
Name Census estimates that about 1,437 living Americans carry the first name Zaki. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zaki today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zaki births was 2008 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zaki. 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.
Key insights
- • Zaki is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 18 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 238,521 Americans
Peak year
2008
62 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,468
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Zaki: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zaki from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 492 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zaki remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zaki 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 Zaki during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zakis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the most babies named Zaki, while Ohio, Georgia, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zaki
The name Zaki has its origins in the Arabic language. It is derived from the root word "zaka," which means "to be pure" or "to increase." The name gained prominence in the 7th century CE during the emergence of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.
Zaki is a masculine name that carries the connotation of purity, integrity, and righteousness. In Islamic tradition, the name is often associated with the concept of "zakat," which refers to the obligatory act of charitable giving or almsgiving.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zaki can be found in the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. The name is mentioned in reference to individuals who possess virtuous qualities and lead righteous lives.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Zaki. One of the earliest examples is Zaki al-Din al-Razi (1149-1209), a renowned Persian polymath who made significant contributions to fields such as medicine, philosophy, and physics.
Another prominent individual with the name Zaki was Zaki Mubarak Pasha (1825-1892), an Egyptian statesman and reformer who played a crucial role in modernizing Egypt during the 19th century.
In the realm of literature, Zaki Naguib Mahmoud (1935-2009) was an acclaimed Egyptian novelist and screenwriter known for his portrayal of contemporary Egyptian society.
The name Zaki has also been associated with academics and intellectuals. Zaki Mubarakmand (1967-present) is a Pakistani nuclear physicist and academic who has made significant contributions to the field of nuclear technology.
Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh (1916-2011) was a Palestinian intellectual, diplomat, and advocate for Palestinian rights, who served as a representative at the United Nations and played a crucial role in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
While the name Zaki has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and gained recognition across various communities and cultures over time.
People
Zaki + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zaki as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zaki: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zaki?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,437 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zaki 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 238,521 US residents.
Is Zaki a common name?
We classify Zaki as "Rare". It ranks above 92.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,457 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zaki most popular?
The single biggest year for Zaki was 2008, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zaki is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zaki a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zaki 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.
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.