Zaire
Boy · zy-EER · Portuguese
Zaire is a boys' name of Portuguese origin, meaning “river”. In 2025 it ranked 968th for boys in the UK (35 babies) and 503rd for boys in the US (601 babies).
What does Zaire mean?
Portuguese: Portuguese rendering of a Kikongo word for river
“river”
Zaire was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 1997, taken from a Kikongo word for river.
- Say it
- zy-EER
Is Zaire a girl's or a boy's name?
Zaire is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 35 boys in the UK and 7 girls and 601 boys in the US.
How popular is Zaire in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #968among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 35about 1 in 8,600 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 197% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 35 boys in the UK were named Zaire, making it the 968th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,923rd.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had the most boys named Zaire of any year since it first appeared, in 1998.
Half of all the boys named Zaire in the UK since 1996 were born between 2020 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2021, 27% of the babies named Zaire in the UK were girls.
Among boys in 2025, it was 896th in England and Wales.
Zaire in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 35 | #968 |
| 2024 | 30 | #1,064 |
| 2023 | 27 | #1,160 |
| 2022 | 16 | #1,639 |
| 2021 | 8 | #2,619 |
| 2020 | 12 | #1,923 |
| 2019 | 10 | #2,231 |
| 2018 | 9 | #2,388 |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,161 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 5 | #3,529 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 4 | #4,147 |
| 2011 | 3 | #4,837 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 3 | #3,021 |
How popular is Zaire in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #503among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 601about 1 in 2,800 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 34% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 601 boys in the US were named Zaire, making it the 503rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 526th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 655 boys. It first appears in the records in 1974. 7 girls were also named Zaire in 2025 (11,928th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Zaire in the US since 1880 were born between 2007 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 825 boys in the US were given Zaire or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #402, up from #503 for this spelling alone.
Girls were 31% of the babies named Zaire in the US in 1992, and 1% in 2025.
Zaire in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 601 | #503 |
| 2024 | 655 | #470 |
| 2023 | 655 | #466 |
| 2022 | 615 | #496 |
| 2021 | 557 | #529 |
| 2020 | 542 | #526 |
| 2019 | 498 | #560 |
| 2018 | 389 | #656 |
| 2017 | 317 | #746 |
| 2016 | 305 | #779 |
| 2015 | 254 | #873 |
| 2014 | 238 | #904 |
| 2013 | 220 | #927 |
| 2012 | 209 | #962 |
| 2011 | 224 | #904 |
| 2010 | 222 | #910 |
| 2009 | 238 | #883 |
| 2008 | 257 | #845 |
| 2007 | 268 | #801 |
| 2006 | 248 | #819 |
| 2005 | 211 | #870 |
| 2004 | 173 | #966 |
| 2003 | 205 | #844 |
| 2002 | 182 | #890 |
| 2001 | 140 | #1,044 |
| 2000 | 203 | #794 |
| 1999 | 180 | #835 |
| 1998 | 116 | #1,102 |
| 1997 | 128 | #998 |
| 1996 | 85 | #1,290 |
| 1995 | 63 | #1,503 |
| 1994 | 61 | #1,526 |
| 1993 | 28 | #2,571 |
| 1992 | 31 | #2,357 |
| 1991 | 21 | #2,983 |
| 1990 | 19 | #3,160 |
| 1989 | 8 | #5,608 |
| 1988 | 10 | #4,445 |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 5 | #6,715 |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 6 | #5,481 |
| 1982 | 5 | #6,383 |
| 1981 | 5 | #6,260 |
| 1980 | 5 | #6,248 |
| 1979 | 10 | #3,808 |
| 1978 | 10 | #3,613 |
| 1977 | 13 | #3,036 |
| 1976 | 6 | #4,933 |
| 1975 | 17 | #2,448 |
| 1974 | 7 | #4,188 |
Names like Zaire
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad Musa Zayd Hamza Zayan Zayaan Ibrahim Abdullah Ahmed Umar Mustafa Amir
Other spellings of Zaire
Names related to Zaire
More Portuguese names
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