Zekai
A Turkish name meaning "wise mind" or "intellectual genius".
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the first name Zekai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zekai today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zekai births was 2024 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zekai. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Zekai with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
124
~ 1 in 2,764,148 Americans
Peak year
2024
21 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,865
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Zekai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zekai 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 78 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
Zekai 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 Zekai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zekais live
Origin
Meaning and history of Zekai
The given name Zekai has its origins in the Turkish language. It is a combination of two words, "zeka" meaning intelligence or wisdom, and "ai" meaning moon or month. The name can be interpreted to mean "intelligent moon" or "wise moon."
In Turkish culture, names often carry symbolic meanings or reflect desired qualities. Zekai was likely chosen for its positive connotations, wishing the bearer to possess intelligence and wisdom akin to the illuminating presence of the moon.
The earliest known record of the name Zekai dates back to the late 19th century in the Ottoman Empire. During this period, the modernization of the Turkish language and the adoption of Western naming conventions led to the emergence of new names with distinct meanings.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Zekai was Zekai Dede (1825-1920), a prominent Turkish Sufi mystic and poet. His teachings and literary works contributed to the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Ottoman Empire.
Another historical figure named Zekai was Zekai Özger (1904-1973), a Turkish journalist, writer, and politician. He was actively involved in the early years of the Turkish Republic and served as a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
In the field of Turkish literature, Zekai Ömer Defne (1897-1980) was a renowned poet and author. His works, which often explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality, earned him critical acclaim and a place in the canon of modern Turkish literature.
Zekai Oral (1906-1985) was a prominent Turkish historian and academic. His extensive research and publications on the history of the Ottoman Empire and the early years of the Turkish Republic are widely regarded as significant contributions to the field of Turkish historiography.
Lastly, Zekai Şen (1911-1983) was a notable Turkish architect and urban planner. He played a crucial role in the development and modernization of many cities in Turkey, including the capital Ankara, through his innovative and forward-thinking designs.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Zekai, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the cultural and intellectual fabric of Turkey and beyond.
People
Zekai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zekai 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
Zekai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zekai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 124 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zekai 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 2,764,148 US residents.
Is Zekai a common name?
We classify Zekai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 125 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zekai most popular?
The single biggest year for Zekai was 2024, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zekai is about 6 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 Zekai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zekai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zekai 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 Zekai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zekai 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 Zekai 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 have the name Zekai?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.