Zakyia
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "pure" or "virtuous".
Name Census estimates that about 150 living Americans carry the first name Zakyia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zakyia today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zakyia births was 2008 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zakyia. 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
150
~ 1 in 2,285,029 Americans
Peak year
2008
11 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2021 SSA rank
#17,595
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Zakyia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zakyia from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 72 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zakyia 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 Zakyia 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 Zakyia
The name Zakyia is of Arabic origin and is derived from the word "zakiya," which means "pure" or "virtuous" in Arabic. It is a feminine name commonly used in the Middle East and among Muslim communities around the world.
The earliest recorded use of the name Zakyia can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Islamic Golden Age. It was a popular name among Arab women during this period, as it reflected the Islamic values of purity and righteousness.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Zakyia was Zakyia bint Abi Bakr, a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist who lived in the 7th century CE. She was known for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her teachings on various aspects of Islamic law.
Another notable figure with the name Zakyia was Zakyia al-Kubra, a Sufi saint and mystic who lived in the 12th century CE. She was revered for her spiritual teachings and her contributions to the development of Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam.
In the 13th century CE, there was a renowned Islamic scholar and poet named Zakyia al-Andalusi, who hailed from the Andalusian region of Spain. She was celebrated for her mastery of Arabic poetry and her works on Islamic theology.
During the Ottoman Empire, a prominent Ottoman princess named Zakyia Sultan lived in the 16th century CE. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support for various cultural and educational initiatives.
In more recent history, Zakyia Bashir was a Pakistani politician and women's rights activist who played a significant role in the struggle for women's empowerment in Pakistan during the 20th century.
While the name Zakyia has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has transcended religious and cultural boundaries and is now used by families from various backgrounds around the world, particularly in Western countries, as a beautiful and meaningful name for their daughters.
People
Zakyia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zakyia 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
Zakyia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zakyia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 150 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zakyia 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 2,285,029 US residents.
Is Zakyia a common name?
We classify Zakyia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 152 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zakyia most popular?
The single biggest year for Zakyia was 2008, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zakyia is about 17 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 Zakyia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zakyia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zakyia 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.
Is Zakyia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zakyia 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 Zakyia 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 share the name Zakyia?
Want to know how many people share the name Zakyia? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.