2000
#25,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 898
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Zaki
A surname meaning bright, intelligent, or clever in Arabic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,464 Americans carry the last name Zaki. That puts it at #13,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zaki surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Zaki with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,105
Census rank
#13,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,149 bearers of the surname Zaki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaki, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zaki
The surname Zaki has its origins in the Arabic-speaking world, particularly in countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. The earliest records of the surname Zaki can be traced back to the medieval Islamic period, around the 9th to 11th centuries, a time when Arabic culture and language were flourishing and spreading.
The name Zaki is derived from the Arabic word زكي, which means "pure,” "chaste," or "righteous." It shares its roots with other Semitic languages and has variations in spelling, such as Zakki or Zaqqi, depending on the dialect and region. The use of the surname often indicated a person of notable virtue or good character.
Historical references to the surname Zaki can be found in various Islamic texts and records. One of the earliest references is in the works of scholars during the Abbasid Caliphate, a period when many names were documented in manuscripts for scientific, literary, and religious achievements. These texts often highlighted individuals with commendable reputations, reflecting the meaning of their surnames.
The earliest recorded individuals holding the surname Zaki include Mohammed Al-Zaki, a renowned scholar and mathematician who resided in Baghdad during the late 10th century. His works in the field of algebra significantly contributed to the development of mathematics in the Islamic Golden Age. Another notable figure is Al-Zaki Al-Halabi, a 12th-century poet from Aleppo, whose verses are still celebrated for their beauty and depth.
One prominent historical figure with the surname Zaki was Zaki Pasha, born in 1830 and died in 1900, who served as an influential Egyptian statesman and governor during the Ottoman Empire. His leadership and reforms in administrative governance were well-documented in various state and historical records.
In the 19th century, Mohammed Zaki Bey, an Egyptian military officer born in 1816 and died in 1888, gained prominence for his role in modernizing the Egyptian military. His efforts were crucial in establishing a more structured and efficient military framework, influencing Egypt's defensive capabilities.
Another significant historical personality is Zaki Naguib Mahmoud, a celebrated Egyptian philosopher and professor, born in 1905 and died in 1993. His contributions to the understanding and interpretation of Islamic philosophy have had a lasting impact on modern philosophical discourse in the Arab world.
The surname Zaki, with its rich etymological roots and historical significance, has been borne by many individuals who have left indelible marks in their respective fields. These individuals reflect the core virtues associated with the name, emphasizing purity, righteousness, and intellectual contributions across different periods and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zaki
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaki, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Zaki bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Zaki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 1,523
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.1% · 390
- Two or more races5.3% · 114
- Black or African American2.8% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zaki
Zaki appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#19,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,356
+458 bearers (+51.0%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Up 5,931 places
2020
#13,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,149
+793 bearers (+58.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 6,301 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,754 | 898 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,823 | 1,356 | 0.46 | +458 bearers (+51.0%) | Up 5,931 places |
| 2020 | #13,522 | 2,149 | 0.72 | +793 bearers (+58.5%) | Up 6,301 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Zaki surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19,823 | #13,522 | 31.8% |
| Count | 1,356 | 2,149 | 58.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 0.72 | 56.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zaki bearers went from 1,356 to 2,149 (+58.5% change). The surname moved up 6,301 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,823 to #13,522.
FAQ
Zaki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zaki?
Name Census estimates that about 2,464 living Americans carry the surname Zaki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,105 residents.
How common is Zaki?
Zaki ranks #13,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,149 people with the surname Zaki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,464), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Zaki.
Has Zaki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zaki went from 1,356 recorded bearers to 2,149. That is an increase of 793 (+58.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,823 to #13,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Zaki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaki, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zaki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (1,523 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zaki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.1%), Two or More Races (5.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Zaki (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Zaki mean?
A surname meaning bright, intelligent, or clever in Arabic. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Zaki (0.72 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Zaki?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Zaki at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.