Unisex name · since 2004
Zai
247 babies named Zai in U.S. Social Security records since 2004, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #11,754 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,001 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 247
- born since 2004
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Zai is the #5001 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 247 recorded since 2004.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zai has been recorded 247 times among boys since 2004, currently ranked #5001 nationally and more common than 64% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2020s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2004 to 2025.
- #11,754 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #5,001 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 247 born since 2004
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zai ranks #11,754 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,001 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 247 born since 2004, peaking in the 2020s.
- #11,754 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,001 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 247
- born since 2004
- 2020s
- peak decade
Zai's 247 recorded births place it above 74.15% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Zai compares
247 42nd percentile among 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Zai's all-time total is 33% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Zai | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 247 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 28 | 34 | 22,252 |
Zai's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Zai splits its recorded history at 2017: 70% of all births land in the more recent half, 30% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 2004 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2024 peak of 28 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Zai popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2004–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 28
- Annual births at peak, across 22 years of records
Zai popularity over time - girls
71 total births recorded since 2001 (Zai as girls' name)
Zai by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (139 births, 56% of the file).
2020s was Zai's strongest decade.
139 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 56% of all-time use.
Zai births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2000s 10
2000s
10 births
- 2010s
2010s
98 births
- 2020s
2020s
139 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 139 births (56% of all-time use).
Zai by state
Where Zai concentrates geographically, total births since 2004
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 10 | 4.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 6 | 2.4% |
| #3 | Florida | | 5 | 2.0% |
10 of 247 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Zai's data
- California records the most Zais (10 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Zai
Nearby Names Like Zai
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zai
Compare Zai side by side: Zai vs Zaiden Zai vs Zain Zai vs Zaire
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Zai
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Zai: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~21 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 2004–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Zai draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.