Tarek
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- TAH-rek
- Origin
- Arabic
- US rank, 2025
- #4,538 for boys
Tarek is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “night visitor, morning star”. In 2025 it ranked 4,538th for boys in the US (22 babies).
What does Tarek mean?
Arabic: spelling of Tariq
“night visitor, morning star”
Tariq ibn Ziyad led the Muslim landing in Spain in 711; Gibraltar is named after him.
Is Tarek a girl's or a boy's name?
Tarek is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 22 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Tarek in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1996, with 13 boys.
Half of all the boys named Tarek in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2014. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Tarek in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | #3,772 |
| 2023 | 5 | #3,712 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 3 | #4,989 |
| 2020 | 7 | #2,819 |
| 2019 | 5 | #3,597 |
| 2018 | 5 | #3,596 |
| 2017 | 5 | #3,608 |
| 2016 | 7 | #2,947 |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 2 | #6,114 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 1 | #6,332 |
| 2011 | 7 | #2,736 |
| 2010 | 4 | #4,026 |
| 2009 | 6 | #2,970 |
| 2008 | 11 | #1,930 |
| 2007 | 6 | #2,873 |
| 2006 | 10 | #1,845 |
| 2005 | 9 | #1,957 |
| 2004 | 9 | #1,831 |
| 2003 | 11 | #1,498 |
| 2002 | 9 | #1,594 |
| 2001 | 12 | #1,283 |
| 2000 | 6 | #1,977 |
| 1999 | 11 | #1,267 |
| 1998 | 5 | #2,170 |
| 1997 | 8 | #1,532 |
| 1996 | 13 | #1,083 |
How popular is Tarek in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 4,538th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 22 about 1 in 78,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 19% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 22 boys in the US were named Tarek, making it the 4,538th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,416th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 64 boys. It first appears in the records in 1962.
2025 had fewer boys named Tarek than any year since 1983.
Half of all the boys named Tarek in the US since 1880 were born between 1987 and 2010, the years shaded on the chart below.
Tarek in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22 | #4,538 |
| 2024 | 26 | #4,069 |
| 2023 | 37 | #3,226 |
| 2022 | 35 | #3,342 |
| 2021 | 33 | #3,424 |
| 2020 | 32 | #3,416 |
| 2019 | 28 | #3,791 |
| 2018 | 45 | #2,707 |
| 2017 | 56 | #2,318 |
| 2016 | 48 | #2,586 |
| 2015 | 46 | #2,640 |
| 2014 | 35 | #3,152 |
| 2013 | 38 | #2,953 |
| 2012 | 35 | #3,176 |
| 2011 | 30 | #3,509 |
| 2010 | 34 | #3,238 |
| 2009 | 44 | #2,752 |
| 2008 | 42 | #2,827 |
| 2007 | 33 | #3,311 |
| 2006 | 45 | #2,620 |
| 2005 | 45 | #2,489 |
| 2004 | 40 | #2,639 |
| 2003 | 44 | #2,388 |
| 2002 | 57 | #1,939 |
| 2001 | 46 | #2,213 |
| 2000 | 48 | #2,083 |
| 1999 | 50 | #1,929 |
| 1998 | 59 | #1,716 |
| 1997 | 57 | #1,703 |
| 1996 | 64 | #1,549 |
| 1995 | 52 | #1,701 |
| 1994 | 46 | #1,846 |
| 1993 | 60 | #1,519 |
| 1992 | 62 | #1,467 |
| 1991 | 58 | #1,496 |
| 1990 | 45 | #1,750 |
| 1989 | 46 | #1,673 |
| 1988 | 44 | #1,613 |
| 1987 | 43 | #1,610 |
| 1986 | 37 | #1,693 |
| 1985 | 55 | #1,289 |
| 1984 | 40 | #1,530 |
| 1983 | 20 | #2,407 |
| 1982 | 34 | #1,699 |
| 1981 | 28 | #1,941 |
| 1980 | 36 | #1,619 |
| 1979 | 25 | #2,048 |
| 1978 | 29 | #1,794 |
| 1977 | 27 | #1,858 |
| 1976 | 31 | #1,676 |
| 1975 | 25 | #1,883 |
| 1974 | 23 | #1,934 |
| 1973 | 20 | #2,035 |
| 1972 | 23 | #1,871 |
| 1971 | 21 | #1,986 |
| 1970 | 18 | #2,124 |
| 1969 | 18 | #1,976 |
| 1968 | 15 | #2,108 |
| 1967 | 14 | #2,138 |
| 1966 | 7 | #3,247 |
| 1965 | 11 | #2,474 |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 5 | #4,047 |
| 1962 | 6 | #3,638 |
Names like Tarek
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Hassan, Malik, Hamza, Muhammad, Ahmed, Yahya, Syed, Liam, Amir, Sami, Rayan, Dylan
Names related to Tarek
More Arabic names
Layla, Mohammed, Lyla, Mohammad, Zara, Aaliyah, Amira, Fatima, Ali, Zayn, Aisha, Omar, Zahra, Kairo, Safa, Liyana
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Tarek: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/tarek, updated 20 October 2026.