Zuri
An African feminine name meaning "beautiful" or "good."
Name Census estimates that about 16,496 living Americans carry the first name Zuri. It sits at #277 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It is a predominantly female name (95.5% of registrations). The average person named Zuri today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zuri births was 2022 (1,552 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zuri. 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 Zuri with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Zuri is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 753 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Zuri is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
16K
~ 1 in 20,778 Americans
Peak year
2022
1,552 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#277
Tracked since 1971
Census
Zuri in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 8,395 people with the first name Zuri, which placed it at #2,778 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
#2,778
National first-name rank
People counted
8.4K
8,395 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
60.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zuri
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zuri is Black at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.9%) and White (9.9%). 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 Zuri 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 Zuri at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.2% · 5,055
- Hispanic or Latino17.9% · 1,502
- White9.9% · 835
- Two or more races9.3% · 782
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 34
Gender
Gender distribution for Zuri
Zuri leans heavily female at 95.5% of total registrations, but 753 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Zuri as a male name
- Ranked #4,689 in 2024
- 22 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2002 (34 births)
Zuri as a female name
- Ranked #277 in 2024
- 1,140 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (1,520 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zuri leans strongly female. 7,807 people counted with this name were female (92.9%), compared with 596 male bearers (7.1%).
Popularity
Zuri: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zuri from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 7,192 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
Zuri 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 Zuri during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zuris live
The SSA's state-level files cover 44 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Zuri, while Rhode Island, North Dakota, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 329 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zuri
The name Zuri originates from the Swahili language, which is spoken predominantly in East Africa. It is a relatively modern name, with its earliest known usage dating back to the late 20th century. The name Zuri is derived from the Swahili word 'zuri', which means 'beautiful' or 'good'.
While the name itself does not have a long recorded history, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural heritage of the Swahili people. The Swahili language is a Bantu language that has been influenced by Arabic, Persian, and other languages due to centuries of trade and cultural exchange along the East African coast.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Zuri was Zuri Mkuu, a prominent Swahili poet and scholar who lived in the 19th century. Mkuu was renowned for his mastery of the Swahili language and his contributions to the preservation of Swahili literature and culture.
Another notable figure in history with the name Zuri was Zuri Sokoni, a Tanzanian businesswoman and entrepreneur who lived in the early 20th century. Sokoni was known for her successful trading ventures and her philanthropic efforts in supporting education and social causes in her community.
In more recent times, the name Zuri has gained popularity beyond its East African roots. One prominent figure is Zuri Adele, an American singer and songwriter born in 1985. Adele has achieved success in the music industry with her unique blend of R&B and soul music.
Another notable Zuri is Zuri Ariel, a Kenyan-American artist and activist born in 1990. Ariel has gained recognition for her vibrant paintings and sculptures that celebrate African culture and promote social justice causes.
Finally, Zuri Zahara, a South African model and actress born in 1995, has made a name for herself in the fashion and entertainment industries. Zahara has graced the covers of numerous magazines and has appeared in several television shows and films.
While the name Zuri may be relatively new in the grand scheme of history, it carries with it a rich cultural heritage and a growing legacy of individuals who have made their mark in various fields.
People
Zuri + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zuri 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
Zuri: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zuri?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16,496 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zuri 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 20,778 US residents.
Is Zuri a common name?
We classify Zuri as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16,648 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zuri most popular?
The single biggest year for Zuri was 2022, when 1,552 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zuri is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zuri in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 8,395 people with the name Zuri, or 2.78 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,778 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 Zuri 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 Zuri?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zuri leans strongly female. 7,807 people counted with this name were female (92.9%), compared with 596 male bearers (7.1%). 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 Zuri?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zuri is Black at 60.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.9%) and White (9.9%). 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 Zuri most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Zuri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.2% (5,055 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 Zuri in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zuri a female name?
Yes, 95.5% of people registered as Zuri 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 Zuri still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zuri 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 Zuri 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 people have Zuri as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.