Zunaira
A feminine name of Arabic origin signifying "the outer or the surface of things".
Name Census estimates that about 374 living Americans carry the first name Zunaira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zunaira today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zunaira births was 2023 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zunaira. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Zunaira with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
374
~ 1 in 916,455 Americans
Peak year
2023
37 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,872
Tracked since 2004
Census
Zunaira in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 386 people with the first name Zunaira, which placed it at #24,794 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
#24,794
National first-name rank
People counted
386
386 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zunaira
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zunaira is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Zunaira 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 Zunaira at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.1% · 367
- White1.6% · 6
- Two or more races1.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Zunaira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zunaira from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 184 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zunaira 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 Zunaira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zunairas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Zunaira, while California, Texas, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zunaira
The name Zunaira has its origins in Arabic culture and language. It is a feminine name that is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "zahrah," meaning "flower" or "blossom." This name's linguistic roots can be traced back to the early days of Islam and the Arab world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zunaira can be found in historical texts from the 7th century, when it was used as a reference to the beauty and radiance of a flower. During this time, the Arabic language and Islamic culture were spreading rapidly across the Middle East and North Africa, and names with floral meanings became popular among the people of the region.
Throughout the centuries, the name Zunaira has been associated with various historical figures and personalities. One notable example is Zunaira bint Khuzaymah, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who lived in the 7th century. She was known for her piety, wisdom, and dedication to the teachings of Islam.
In the 10th century, Zunaira al-Andalusiya was a renowned poet and scholar from the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). Her poetry celebrated the beauty of nature and explored themes of love and spirituality. She is considered one of the most influential female poets of the Andalusian era.
Another remarkable figure was Zunaira al-Qurashiya, a 12th-century mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad. She made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and is credited with developing advanced methods for solving complex equations.
In more recent times, Zunaira Masroor (born 1978) is a Pakistani actress and model who has appeared in numerous television dramas and films. She is recognized for her talent and versatility in portraying diverse roles.
Zunaira Arshad (born 1987) is a Pakistani cricketer who has represented her national team in various international tournaments. She is known for her exceptional batting skills and has earned numerous accolades for her contributions to the sport.
The name Zunaira has continued to be popular among Arabic-speaking communities and has gained recognition worldwide due to its beautiful meaning and historical significance. Its connection to the natural world and the imagery of a blooming flower have made it a cherished choice for parents seeking a name that evokes grace, beauty, and vitality.
People
Zunaira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zunaira 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
Zunaira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zunaira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 374 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zunaira 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 916,455 US residents.
Is Zunaira a common name?
We classify Zunaira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 377 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zunaira most popular?
The single biggest year for Zunaira was 2023, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zunaira is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Zunaira in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 386 people with the name Zunaira, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,794 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 Zunaira 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 Zunaira?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Zunaira appears almost entirely female. Of the 390 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Zunaira?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Zunaira is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Zunaira most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Zunaira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (367 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 Zunaira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zunaira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zunaira in the SSA data are female. 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 Zunaira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zunaira 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 Zunaira 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 share the name Zunaira?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.