Zakiyah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "pure" or "chaste".
Name Census estimates that about 1,975 living Americans carry the first name Zakiyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zakiyah today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zakiyah births was 2008 (108 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zakiyah. 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
- • Zakiyah is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.0K
~ 1 in 173,547 Americans
Peak year
2008
108 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,564
Tracked since 1976
Gender
Gender distribution for Zakiyah
Out of the 2,002 babies given the name Zakiyah since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Zakiyah as a male name
- Ranked #10,868 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (7 births)
Zakiyah as a female name
- Ranked #3,564 in 2024
- 44 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (108 births)
Popularity
Zakiyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zakiyah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 753 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Zakiyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zakiyah 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 Zakiyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zakiyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Georgia, North Carolina, Florida recorded the most babies named Zakiyah, while California, Arkansas, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zakiyah
The name Zakiyah originates from the Arabic language and is derived from the root word "zaky," which means pure, virtuous, or righteous. It is a feminine name that carries deep spiritual and moral connotations within the Islamic tradition.
The earliest recorded use of the name Zakiyah can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the early Islamic era. It is believed to have been inspired by the Quranic verse (33:35) which describes the qualities of righteous individuals, both men and women, as "zakiyin" (plural of zakiyah).
In Islamic history, one of the most notable figures with the name Zakiyah was Zakiyah bint Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib, who lived in the 7th century CE. She was the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph of Islam and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, and Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet.
Another prominent historical figure with the name Zakiyah was Zakiyah al-Baghdadiyah, a renowned female scholar of hadith (prophetic traditions) who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century CE. She was known for her extensive knowledge and her contributions to the preservation and transmission of Islamic teachings.
In the 12th century CE, Zakiyah bint Ibrahim al-Naysaburi was a prominent female scholar and poet from Nishapur, Iran. She was renowned for her expertise in various fields, including literature, theology, and jurisprudence.
During the 14th century CE, Zakiyah bint Ahmad al-Ansari was a prominent Sufi mystic and scholar from Yemen. She was known for her spiritual teachings and her contributions to the development of Sufism in the region.
Another historical figure with the name Zakiyah was Zakiyah al-Kubra, a 16th century Ottoman princess and the daughter of Sultan Selim I. She played an important role in the cultural and intellectual life of the Ottoman Empire during her time.
The name Zakiyah continues to be popular among Muslim communities around the world, carrying the symbolic meaning of purity, righteousness, and virtue, reflecting the rich cultural and religious heritage from which it originated.
People
Zakiyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zakiyah 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
Zakiyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zakiyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,975 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zakiyah 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 173,547 US residents.
Is Zakiyah a common name?
We classify Zakiyah as "Rare". It ranks above 93.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,002 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zakiyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Zakiyah was 2008, when 108 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zakiyah is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zakiyah a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Zakiyah in the SSA data are female. 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.