Given name & surname
Bakari
“one who is promised”
Bakari is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “one who is promised.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “one who is promised.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1973. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bakari through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,687
- 1,687 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 94 babies
- 2025
- 94
- #1,729 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +60%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 94 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,729 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 60.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,133 as a first name in 2020; 338 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bakari’s family of names
Bakari has a related form in Bakary. Bakari has a related form in Bakarea. Bakari has a related form in Bakaree.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Bakari
- BacariGambian footballerborn 1988
- Bakari MwamnyetoTanzanian footballerborn 1995
- Bakari HendrixAmerican basketball player (born 1977)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Bakari, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kazi
“a hardworking man”
79% boys · 21% girls
Kairo
“from the city of Cairo”
97% boys · 3% girls
Zaire
“a, man from Zaire”
97% boys · 3% girls
Cairo
“from the city in Egypt” · “one who is victorious; from the capital of Egypt”
95% boys · 5% girls
Khairi
“a kingly man •”
97% boys · 3% girls
Jakhari
97% boys · 3% girls
Shomari
Shomari is a masculine given name from Swahili.
>99% boys
Dakarii
>99% boys