Given name & surname
Tarek
“one who demands entry; of the morning star”
Tarek is a variant of Tariq. One Arabic interpretation is “one who demands entry; of the morning star.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Tarek is a variant of Tariq. One Arabic interpretation is “one who demands entry; of the morning star.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Tarek is a variant of Tariq. An origin associated with Tariq is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1962. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tarek through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,278
- 2,278 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1996
- 64 babies
- 2025
- 22
- #4,687 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −27%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 22 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,687 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 26.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 64 in 1996. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,871 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Tarek
- Taz SkylarSpanish actorborn 1995
- Tarek HamedEgyptian association football playerborn 1988
- Tarek Salmanassociation football playerborn 1997
- Tareck El AissamiVice President of Venezuela from 2017 to 2018born 1974
- Tarek FatahPakistan-born Canadian Islamism critic and non-fiction writer1949–2023
- Tarek AlaaEgyptian association football player (born 2002)
- Tarek BoudaliFrench actor (born 1979)
- Tarek ThabetTunisian association football playerborn 1971
- Tarek SolimanEgyptian footballerborn 1962
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Tarek, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Talon
“resembling a claw” · “resembling a bird's claw”
96% boys · 4% girls
Colwyn
“from the river” · “from the river in Wales”
>99% boys
Landen
“from the grassy meadow”
98% boys · 2% girls
Jaden
“resembling the green gemstone”
97% boys · 3% girls
Arjun
Arjun is used as a given name and a surname. One Sanskrit interpretation is “white: the colour of dawn, lightning, milk, and silver.”
>99% boys
Sarek
>99% boys
Tawfiq
“one who is successful”
>99% boys
Tannim
>99% boys