Given name & surname
Zaire
“a, man from Zaire”
Zaire is used as a given name and a surname. One African interpretation is “a, man from Zaire.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “a, man from Zaire.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is African.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1974. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Zaire through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,897
- 9,465 boys · 1,432 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 674 babies
- 2025
- 608
- #503 for boys · #13,156 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +46%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 97% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 601 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 503 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 50.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 7 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (67). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,857 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.
Zaire’s family of names
Zaire is a form of Zara. Zaire has a related form in Zyaire. Zaire has a related form in Zyair.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 8
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 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Zaire
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Zaire, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ayan
“one who is bright”
90% boys · 10% girls
Cairo
“from the city in Egypt” · “one who is victorious; from the capital of Egypt”
95% boys · 5% girls
Kairo
“from the city of Cairo”
97% boys · 3% girls
Rael
“as innocent as a lamb”
85% boys · 15% girls
Neo
“a gift from God” · “brand-new”
>99% boys
Azi
“one who is youthful”
>99% boys
Sultan
“a ruler” · “one who is bold”
>99% boys
Kazi
“a hardworking man”
79% boys · 21% girls