Zakiel
A Hebrew name meaning "God's memorial" or "God has remembered."
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Zakiel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zakiel today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zakiel births was 2022 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zakiel. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zakiel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2022
7 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2022 SSA rank
#10,830
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Zakiel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zakiel 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 7 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
Zakiel 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 Zakiel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zakiel
The name Zakiel has its origins in Judaic and Christian angelology, where it is believed to be the name of an archangel. The name is derived from Hebrew, with the root words "zak" meaning "pure" or "innocent" and "El" referring to God. Together, the name Zakiel can be interpreted as "the purity of God" or "pure one of God."
Zakiel's name appears in various apocryphal and occult texts, such as the Almadel of Solomon and the Pauline Art of Angel Magic. In these texts, Zakiel is described as one of the seven archangels and is associated with the planet Jupiter. He is often depicted as a mighty warrior angel, wielding a sword or a flaming spear.
One of the earliest recorded references to Zakiel can be found in the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh, an ancient Hebrew text attributed to the archangel Raziel. This text, dating back to the 13th century or earlier, mentions Zakiel as one of the angels responsible for guarding the secrets of the universe.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Zakiel, although the name has been relatively rare. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Zakiel ben Shlomo (1170-1235), a renowned Jewish scholar and Kabbalist from Spain.
Another notable Zakiel was Zakiel Amedeo (1570-1634), an Italian painter and architect who worked in the Baroque style. His most famous work is the frescoes adorning the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome.
In the 18th century, Zakiel Hirsch (1720-1789) was a German rabbi and author who wrote several influential works on Jewish law and theology.
In more recent times, Zakiel Naori (1905-1999) was an Israeli diplomat and politician who served as the first ambassador of Israel to Japan.
Lastly, Zakiel Ismail (1927-2018) was a Sudanese politician and military leader who played a significant role in the country's independence movement and served as its vice president from 1964 to 1965.
While the name Zakiel has been relatively uncommon throughout history, it has maintained a presence in various cultures and religious traditions, particularly in Judaism and Christianity, where it is associated with angelic figures and mystical teachings.
People
Zakiel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zakiel 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
Zakiel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zakiel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zakiel 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Zakiel a common name?
We classify Zakiel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zakiel most popular?
The single biggest year for Zakiel was 2022, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zakiel is about 8 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 Zakiel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zakiel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zakiel 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 Zakiel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zakiel 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 Zakiel 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 named Zakiel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.