Zaire
Zaire was the 503rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 601 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 466th with 655 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 376 places. More babies were named Zaire in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning river (Kongo nzere) · Kongo, Portuguese
Say it zah-EER /zɑˈɪr/
- Rank in 2025
- #503 boys, up 25 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 601boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2023655 babies
- Total since 1880
- 10,897babies recorded
What does the name Zaire mean?
Zaire comes through Portuguese from Kongo nzere or nzadi, "river"; Wiktionary gives the phrase nzadi o nzere, "the river that swallows all rivers", for the Congo River. Zaire was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 1997, and Dictionary.com notes it was also its currency. As a boy's name in the US it is modern.
nzere / nzadi (Kongo, “river”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Kongo source is standard; the exact phrase is given by Wiktionary.
See also: African names, names that mean water, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Zaire', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Zaire', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Zaire popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,156 | #503 | 7 | 601 |
| 2020 | #8,938 | #528 | 12 | 542 |
| 2010 | #3,358 | #913 | 49 | 222 |
| 2000 | #2,015 | #798 | 83 | 203 |
| 1990 | #8,493 | #3,308 | 10 | 19 |
| 1980 | — | #7,286 | — | 5 |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Zaire, counting every spelling?
Zaire is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #458 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #503 for Zaire on its own. Together these spellings went to 677 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zaire | 601 | #503 | 3,083 |
| Zair | 51 | #2,603 | 189 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Zaire?
601 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Zaire (0.17 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Zaire born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Zaire.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Zaire?
About 9,400 people born in the US named Zaire are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 19. That makes Zaire a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Zaire by state
How common Zaire was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Georgia (3.1×), Mississippi (2.5×), Maryland (2.4×), Florida (1.7×), Louisiana (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Zaire: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Zaire, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Zaire · Sibling names for Zaire
Questions about the name Zaire
What does Zaire mean?
Zaire means “river (Kongo nzere)” (Kongo, Portuguese origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Zaire?
Zaire was the 503rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 601 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 466th with 655 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 376 places. More babies were named Zaire in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Zaire a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Zaire in the US.
Where is Zaire most popular?
In 2021–2025, Zaire was most common in Georgia (1.12 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Maryland.