Zinedine
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "good soldier".
Name Census estimates that about 155 living Americans carry the first name Zinedine. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zinedine today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zinedine births was 2006 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zinedine. 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
155
~ 1 in 2,211,318 Americans
Peak year
2006
18 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,291
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Zinedine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zinedine from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 87 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
Zinedine 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 Zinedine 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 Zinedine
The name Zinedine is of Arabic origin and has its roots in the Berber and Islamic cultures of North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic words "zine" meaning "beauty" and "dine" meaning "religion" or "faith". The name can be translated to mean "beauty of the faith" or "ornament of religion".
In the early centuries of Islam, the name was used by scholars and religious figures in regions such as Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It gained popularity among Muslims as a way to express their devotion to the Islamic faith and its teachings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zinedine dates back to the 12th century, when a Moroccan scholar and philosopher named Zinedine al-Marrakushi lived and wrote about various subjects, including mathematics and astronomy.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zinedine. One of the most famous was Zinedine Zidane, a French professional football player of Algerian descent, born in 1972. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and led the French national team to victory in the 1998 World Cup.
Another prominent figure was Zinedine el-Naciri, a Moroccan politician and diplomat who served as the Secretary-General of the Arab Maghreb Union from 1992 to 2008. He played a significant role in promoting regional cooperation and integration among the countries of North Africa.
In the realm of literature, Zinedine Zidouh was an Algerian writer and poet born in 1958. His works explored themes of identity, culture, and the human condition, earning him critical acclaim and various literary awards.
Zinedine Boudjemaa, born in 1942, was an Algerian artist and sculptor known for his abstract and figurative works that reflected the cultural heritage and traditions of his homeland.
Lastly, Zinedine Machach was a Moroccan religious scholar and author who lived in the 19th century. He wrote extensively on Islamic jurisprudence and theology, contributing to the preservation and dissemination of traditional Islamic knowledge in the region.
People
Zinedine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zinedine 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
Zinedine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zinedine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 155 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zinedine 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 2,211,318 US residents.
Is Zinedine a common name?
We classify Zinedine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 156 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zinedine most popular?
The single biggest year for Zinedine was 2006, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zinedine is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zinedine a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zinedine 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.