Zury
A unisex name of Arabic origin meaning "lovely" or "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 768 living Americans carry the first name Zury. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zury today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zury births was 2006 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zury. 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
768
~ 1 in 446,295 Americans
Peak year
2006
54 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,650
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Zury: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zury from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 336 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zury remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zury 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 Zury during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zurys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Zury, while Florida, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 64 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zury
The name Zury has its origins in the ancient Sumerian language spoken in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500-3000 BC. It is derived from the Sumerian word "zur," meaning "to shine" or "to radiate," and was likely used as a reference to the sun or celestial bodies.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Zury can be found in Sumerian cuneiform tablets from the city of Uruk, dating back to around 2500 BC. These tablets were administrative records and lists of names, suggesting that Zury was a name in use among the Sumerian people during that time period.
While the name Zury does not appear in any major ancient religious texts or scriptures, there are references to individuals bearing this name in various historical records and chronicles from the ancient Near East.
One notable figure was Zury-Idin, a high-ranking official and military commander who served under the Akkadian king Sargon of Akkad in the 24th century BC. Zury-Idin is mentioned in several inscriptions and is credited with leading successful military campaigns and helping to expand the Akkadian Empire.
Another individual named Zury was a Sumerian priestess who lived in the city of Uruk around 2300 BC. She is mentioned in cuneiform texts as holding an important religious position and being involved in the worship of the goddess Inanna.
In the 2nd millennium BC, there was a Babylonian scribe named Zury-bani who was known for his expertise in cuneiform writing and his contributions to the preservation of ancient Sumerian literary works.
During the Neo-Babylonian period (626-539 BC), a man named Zury-iddin served as a high-ranking official and administrator under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II. He is mentioned in several clay tablets and inscriptions related to administrative and economic matters.
In the 1st century AD, there was a Jewish scholar and rabbi named Zury ben Hinena who lived in Palestine. He is mentioned in the Talmud and is known for his teachings and interpretations of Jewish law and tradition.
While the name Zury has ancient roots, it has been relatively uncommon throughout much of recorded history, likely due to the decline of the Sumerian language and culture. However, its meaning and connection to celestial bodies and radiance have given it a unique and enduring quality.
People
Zury + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zury 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
Zury: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zury?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 768 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zury 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 446,295 US residents.
Is Zury a common name?
We classify Zury as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 776 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zury most popular?
The single biggest year for Zury was 2006, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zury is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zury a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zury 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.