Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2023

Zai

Gender Unisex · 22% girls Rank 2025 #5,039 Trend ↑ Rising 48%
Rank 2025
#5,039
among boys · ↓1,059 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
26
named Zai · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 85,404
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2023
33 babies
All-time total
318
#10,851 all-time among boys
First recorded
2001
in Social Security records

Zai popularity over time

318 babies have been named Zai since 2001, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.010.020.0218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s – – – – – –
2000s 5 10 15 2 – #13,195
2010s 34 98 132 13 +780% #4,632
2020s (to 2025) 32 139 171 29 +116% #3,980

Where Zai is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 22 0.01 outside top 500
2027 24 0.01 outside top 500
2028 26 0.02 outside top 500
2029 28 0.02 outside top 500
2030 29 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Zai

Zai is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #5,039 in 2025 with 20 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 2001, 318 American babies have been named Zai, about 78% boys and 22% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2023, when 33 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Zai stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Zai?

The median living Zai is about 5 years old; half are between 2 and 10. An estimated 300 people named Zai are alive in the United States today.

median 5 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Zai year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 6 #14,895 20 #5,039
2024 – – 28 #3,980
2023 7 #13,418 26 #4,215
2022 6 #15,260 25 #4,296
2021 5 #17,600 17 #5,556
2020 8 #12,111 23 #4,420
2019 – – 22 #4,632
2018 8 #12,431 7 #10,734
2017 6 #15,853 5 #14,213
2016 5 #18,808 9 #8,793
2015 – – 9 #8,726
2014 5 #19,155 15 #5,991
2013 – – 10 #8,102
2012 5 #19,474 6 #12,241
2011 – – 9 #8,750
2010 5 #19,778 6 #12,193
2009 – – 5 #14,494
2008 – – – –
2007 – – – –
2006 – – – –
2005 – – – –
2004 – – 5 #13,195
2003 – – – –
2002 – – – –
2001 5 #17,938 – –
2000 – – – –
1995 – – – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Zai, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Zai?

The median living Zai is about 5 years old. Half of all living Zais are between 2 and 10 years old.

How many people named Zai are alive today?

An estimated 300 people named Zai are alive in the United States, based on 318 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Zai in 2025?

Zai ranked #5,039 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 20 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Zai?

318 babies have been named Zai in the United States since 2001, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Zai most popular?

Zai peaked in 2023, when 33 newborns received the name.

Is Zai a boy or girl name?

Zai is used for both: about 22% of babies named Zai have been girls and 78% boys.

Is the name Zai rising or falling?

Zai is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Zai become more popular?

Zai is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 29 boys named Zai in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Zai

Names that sound and feel close to Zai: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Zai with similar names → More names starting with Z →