Given name & surname
Tarik
“one who demands entry; of the morning star”
Tarik is a variant of Tariq. One Arabic interpretation is “one who demands entry; of the morning star.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Tarik 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
Tarik 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 1958. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Tarik through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,192
- 4,181 boys · 11 girls
- Most popular year
- 1996
- 164 babies
- 2025
- 36
- #3,304 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −22%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 36 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,304 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 164 in 1996. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,190 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.
Tarik’s family of names
Tarik has a related form in Tariq. In Greek usage, Tarik as a surname is a transliteration of Ταρήκ. In Greek usage, Tarik is a transliteration of Ταρίκ.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 6
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Tarik
- Tarik ElyounoussiNorwegian association football playerborn 1988
- Tarik OulidaMoroccan association football playerborn 1974
- Tarik BlackAmerican basketball player (born 1991)
- Tarik TissoudaliMoroccan footballerborn 1993
- Tarik SalehSwedish director of Egyptian originborn 1972
- Black ThoughtAmerican rapperborn 1973
- Tarik SektiouiMoroccan footballerborn 1977
- Tarik El JarmouniMoroccan footballerborn 1977
- Tarik HodžićBosnia and Herzegovina footballerborn 1951
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Tarik, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tecumseh
“a traveler; resembling a shooting star”
>99% boys
Barkley
“birch tree” · “wood or clearing”
98% boys · 2% girls
Darian
“a wise woman” · “from the oak tree”
94% boys · 6% girls
Ashford
“from the ash-tree ford”
>99% boys
Lamar
“from the renowned land” · “of the sea”
86% boys · 14% girls
Forrest
“a woodland dweller” · “from the woodland”
98% boys · 2% girls
Stone
“as solid as a stone”
94% boys · 6% girls
Westleigh
“from the western meadow”
>99% boys