Zori
Of Slavic origin, a diminutive form of names like Gizora meaning "glory".
Name Census estimates that about 753 living Americans carry the first name Zori. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zori today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zori births was 2017 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zori. 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
753
~ 1 in 455,185 Americans
Peak year
2017
63 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,455
Tracked since 1993
Census
Zori in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 513 people with the first name Zori, which placed it at #20,216 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#20,216
National first-name rank
People counted
513
513 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
69.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zori
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zori is Black at 69.0%. The next largest groups are White (15.6%) and Hispanic (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Zori described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Zori at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American69.0% · 354
- White15.6% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 53
- Two or more races4.1% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Popularity
Zori: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zori 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 386 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zori remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zori 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 Zori during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zoris live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Maryland, Georgia, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Zori, while North Carolina, Virginia, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zori
The name Zori has its roots in various cultures and languages across the globe. It is believed to have originated from the Persian word "zor," which means strength or power. This name was commonly used in ancient Persia and the surrounding regions.
In Sanskrit, the name Zori is derived from the word "zor," which means brilliant or shining. This suggests that the name may have been used among ancient Indian civilizations to represent a person's radiance or inner light.
Some scholars also trace the origins of Zori to the Slavic languages, where it is believed to be a variation of the name "Zora," meaning dawn or sunrise. This connection implies that the name could have been associated with the idea of new beginnings or a fresh start.
In Greek mythology, there is a reference to a minor deity named Zoria, who was believed to be the personification of the morning breeze. This mythological connection lends a poetic and mystical quality to the name Zori.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zori can be found in the ancient Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. The name was used for a character in the epic, reflecting its deep-rooted history in the Persian culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zori. One such person was Zori Balkan (1904-1990), a prominent Albanian writer and poet who played a significant role in the development of Albanian literature during the 20th century.
Another notable figure was Zori Apostolska (1934-2017), a Macedonian actress and theater director who made significant contributions to the Macedonian cultural scene. She was widely acclaimed for her performances and directorial work.
In the field of sports, Zori Sampsonidze (born 1982) is a Georgian weightlifter who has won multiple medals at international competitions, including the Olympic Games and World Championships.
Zori Balaian (1934-2022) was a renowned Armenian painter and sculptor, known for his unique style and contributions to the art world. His works have been exhibited in various countries and are celebrated for their artistic excellence.
Lastly, Zori Lesova (born 1976) is a Bulgarian singer and actress who has gained popularity for her musical talents and performances in various theater productions and television shows.
These individuals, spanning different eras and fields, have carried the name Zori with pride and have contributed to its diverse cultural heritage and significance.
People
Zori + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zori 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
Zori: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zori?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 753 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zori 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 455,185 US residents.
Is Zori a common name?
We classify Zori as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 760 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zori most popular?
The single biggest year for Zori was 2017, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zori is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zori in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 513 people with the name Zori, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,216 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Zori in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Zori?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zori leans strongly female. 479 people counted with this name were female (93.7%), compared with 32 male bearers (6.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Zori?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zori is Black at 69.0%. The next largest groups are White (15.6%) and Hispanic (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Zori most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Zori in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.0% (354 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Zori in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zori a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zori 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 Zori still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zori 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 Zori 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.
How many Americans are named Zori?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.