Zaire is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Zaire means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Zaire across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Zaire has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Zaire is a boy name of African origin meaning “river that swallows all rivers”. From the former name of the Congo, of Kongo origin.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 10,897 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 161 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Zaire per year, United States (1974 to 2025). United States peaked in 2023 (674/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (35/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2024 (3/yr).
Zaire has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2023, when it ranked #922 nationally (given to 701 babies that year).
Zara · Zyaire · Zariah · Zahra · Zyair · Syaire · Zaira
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