Unisex name · since 1974
Zaire
9,465 babies named Zaire in U.S. Social Security records since 1974, with the highest year being 2023. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,246 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #503 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,465
- born since 1974
- 2020s
- peak decade
9,465 babies have been named Zaire since 1974, making it today's #503 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Zaire recorded 9,465 times among boys since 1974, holding rank #503 nationally today, ahead of 96% of boys, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1974 to 2025.
- #1,246 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #503 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 9,465 born since 1974
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zaire ranks #1,246 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #503 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 9,465 born since 1974, peaking in the 2020s.
- #1,246 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #503 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,465
- born since 1974
- 2020s
- peak decade
Zaire's 9,465 recorded births place it above 97.26% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
35 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Zaire compares
9,465 Top 9% higher than 91% of 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
Zaire's all-time total is 26x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Zaire | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 9,465 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 655 | 34 | 22,252 |
Zaire's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Zaire's full recorded timeline at 2001, 89% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 11% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1980, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2023 peak of 655 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Zaire popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1974–2025
- Peak year (2023)
- 655
- Annual births at peak, across 52 years of records
Zaire popularity over time - girls
1,432 total births recorded since 1975 (Zaire as girls' name)
Zaire by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (3,625 births, 38% of the file).
2020s was Zaire's strongest decade.
3,625 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Zaire births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 63
1970s
63 births
- 1980s 44
1980s
44 births
- 1990s 732
1990s
732 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,125 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,876 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,625 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 3,625 births (38% of all-time use).
How Zaire compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Zaire's total volume
Zaire by state
Where Zaire concentrates geographically, total births since 1974
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,086 | 11.5% |
| #2 | California | | 765 | 8.1% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 659 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 653 | 6.9% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 616 | 6.5% |
| #6 | Florida | | 598 | 6.3% |
| #7 | Texas | | 570 | 6.0% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 410 | 4.3% |
1,086 of 9,465 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Zaire appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Zaire? ▼
Where does Zaire sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Zaire most popular? ▼
Where is Zaire most popular? ▼
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What to do with Zaire's data
- New York records the most Zaires (1,086 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Zaire
Nearby Names Like Zaire
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zaire
Compare Zaire side by side: Zaire vs Zaiden Zaire vs Zain Zaire vs Zaid
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Zaire
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Zaire: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2023)
Similar record span (~51 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, 1974–2025 (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 Zaire 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.