Zarek
A name of uncertain origin, possibly Persian or Arabic, potentially meaning "golden-colored".
Name Census estimates that about 1,014 living Americans carry the first name Zarek. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zarek today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zarek births was 1999 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zarek. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 338,022 Americans
Peak year
1999
52 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,181
Tracked since 1989
Census
Zarek in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 849 people with the first name Zarek, which placed it at #14,008 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,008
National first-name rank
People counted
849
849 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
49.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zarek
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zarek is White at 49.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.2%) and Black (10.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Zarek described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Zarek at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.6% · 421
- Hispanic or Latino25.2% · 214
- Black or African American10.5% · 89
- Two or more races8.8% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 8
Popularity
Zarek: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zarek from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 392 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zarek by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Zarek during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zareks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Zarek, while Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zarek
The name Zarek is believed to have its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly Polish and Czech. It is a masculine name that is thought to be derived from the Slavic root "zar," which means "fire" or "burning." This suggests that the name may have been associated with qualities such as passion, energy, or strength in its early use.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zarek can be found in medieval Polish records from the 13th century. During this period, the name was occasionally bestowed upon individuals, although its popularity was relatively limited compared to more common Polish names of the era.
In terms of historical references, there are no major figures or events directly associated with the name Zarek in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, the name's connection to the idea of fire or burning may have held symbolic significance in various cultural traditions.
Among the notable individuals who bore the name Zarek throughout history, one can mention Zarek Kempinski (1878-1967), a Polish businessman and hotelier who founded the Kempinski hotel chain. Another example is Zarek Wyspiański (1903-1975), a Polish painter and graphic artist whose works were influential in the development of modern art in Poland.
Moving forward, Zarek Kozłowski (1925-2008) was a Polish actor and director who had a prolific career in theater and film. In the field of literature, Zarek Przybysz (born 1954) is a contemporary Polish poet and essayist whose works have been widely acclaimed.
Lastly, Zarek Lipowski (1936-2021) was a Polish wrestler and Olympic medalist who won a silver medal in the heavyweight division at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
While the name Zarek has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in Slavic cultures, its usage has remained relatively uncommon compared to other names. Nevertheless, its connection to the elemental concept of fire and its appearance in the lives of notable individuals across various fields have contributed to its enduring cultural significance.
People
Zarek + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zarek as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zarek: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zarek?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,014 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zarek going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 338,022 US residents.
Is Zarek a common name?
We classify Zarek as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,027 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zarek most popular?
The single biggest year for Zarek was 1999, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zarek is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zarek in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 849 people with the name Zarek, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,008 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Zarek in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Zarek?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zarek appears almost entirely male. Of the 857 people counted with this name, 99.5% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Zarek?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zarek is White at 49.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.2%) and Black (10.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Zarek most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Zarek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.6% (421 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Zarek in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zarek a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zarek in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Zarek still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zarek in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Zarek can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Zarek as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Zarek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.