Zuleika
A feminine Arabic name meaning "fair, beautiful woman".
Name Census estimates that about 1,169 living Americans carry the first name Zuleika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zuleika today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zuleika births was 2007 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zuleika. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 293,203 Americans
Peak year
2007
54 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,898
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Zuleika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zuleika from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 282 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zuleika 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 Zuleika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zuleikas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Zuleika, while Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 48 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zuleika
The name Zuleika has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is a feminine name derived from the Arabic word "Zulaykhah", which means "brilliant" or "glowing". This name can be traced back to the Quran, where it refers to the wife of Potiphar, an Egyptian official mentioned in the story of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zuleika appears in the epic poem "The Lusiad" by the Portuguese poet Luís Vaz de Camões, written in the 16th century. In this work, Zuleika is portrayed as a beautiful and seductive Muslim princess who falls in love with a Christian knight.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zuleika. One of the earliest recorded was Zuleika Dobson, a fictional character created by the English author and satirist Max Beerbohm in his 1911 novel of the same name. This character possessed the ability to enchant and bewitch men with her beauty.
Another famous Zuleika was Zuleika Feldman (1919-2012), a Dutch writer and psychologist of Jewish descent. She survived the Holocaust and wrote extensively about her experiences during World War II, including the memoir "Hunters and Hunted" published in 1956.
In the world of music, Zuleika was the stage name of Princess Tsuguko of Japan (1924-2009), who pursued a career as a classical pianist and performed under this moniker to preserve her privacy.
The name Zuleika also appears in the literary works of various authors, such as Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm (1911), Zuleika Opened Her Eyes by H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) (1923), and Zuleika, Daughter of Jairus by Ilene Beckerman (2001).
Another noteworthy individual with this name was Zuleika Kingpin (1945-2004), an American actress and singer who appeared in several Broadway productions and films, including the 1979 movie "Hair".
While the name Zuleika has Arabic roots, it has been embraced by various cultures and societies throughout history, reflecting its enduring beauty and captivating charm.
People
Zuleika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zuleika 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
Zuleika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zuleika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,169 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zuleika 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 293,203 US residents.
Is Zuleika a common name?
We classify Zuleika as "Rare". It ranks above 91.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,213 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zuleika most popular?
The single biggest year for Zuleika was 2007, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zuleika is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zuleika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zuleika 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.
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.