NameCensus.
Uncommon

Zayn

A traditionally masculine name of Arabic origins meaning "beauty".

Name Census estimates that about 11,746 living Americans carry the first name Zayn. It sits at #249 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It is a predominantly male name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Zayn today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zayn births was 2024 (1,431 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Zayn. 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

  • Although Zayn is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 98 girls registered with the name since 1880.
  • Zayn is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 7 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.

People living today

12K

~ 1 in 29,181 Americans

Peak year

2024

1,431 babies that year

Average age

7

years old

2024 SSA rank

#249

Tracked since 1993

Gender

Gender distribution for Zayn

Out of the 11,830 babies given the name Zayn since 1880, 99.2% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.

99% male
Male11,732 (99.2%)Female98 (0.8%)

Zayn as a male name

  • Ranked #249 in 2024
  • 1,424 male births in 2024
  • Peak: 2024 (1,424 births)

Zayn as a female name

  • Ranked #13,403 in 2024
  • 7 female births in 2024
  • Peak: 2021 (17 births)

Popularity

Zayn: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Zayn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6,434 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

MaleFemale
03587161K1K199520002005201020152020

Decades

Zayn 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 Zayn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1990s92597
2000s3896395
2010s4,865394,904
2020s6,386486,434

Geography

Where Zayns live

The SSA's state-level files cover 45 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Zayn, while North Dakota, Idaho, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 240 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Zayn

Zayn is a name of Arabic origin, derived from the word "Zayn" which means "beauty" or "grace" in the Arabic language. The name has been in use for centuries, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 7th century AD during the early days of Islamic civilization.

The name Zayn gained widespread popularity in the Middle East and other regions influenced by Arabic culture and Islamic teachings. It is believed to be associated with the name of one of the grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad, Zayn al-Abidin, who lived in the 7th century AD and was revered for his piety and wisdom.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Zayn was Zayn al-Din al-Amidi, a renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher who lived in the 12th century AD. He made significant contributions to the fields of logic, theology, and jurisprudence.

In the 13th century, Zayn al-Din Ghaznavi was a prominent Persian poet and mystic who wrote extensively on the themes of love, spirituality, and Sufism. His works continue to be celebrated and studied in the literary circles of the Middle East and Central Asia.

During the 14th century, Zayn al-Din Mahmud Wasiti was a famous calligrapher and artist from Persia, known for his mastery of the Naskh and Thuluth calligraphic styles. His works adorned many historical manuscripts and architectural monuments of the time.

In the 16th century, Zayn al-Din al-Ma'bari was a renowned Yemeni poet and scholar who made significant contributions to Arabic literature and Islamic studies. His poetic works were widely admired for their depth and eloquence.

Throughout history, the name Zayn has been carried by numerous individuals across various fields, including religion, literature, arts, and academia, reflecting its enduring popularity and cultural significance in the Arabic-speaking world and beyond.

People

Zayn + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Zayn 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

Zayn: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Zayn?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11,746 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zayn 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 29,181 US residents.

Is Zayn a common name?

We classify Zayn as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11,830 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Zayn most popular?

The single biggest year for Zayn was 2024, when 1,431 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zayn is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Zayn a male name?

Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Zayn 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.

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