Zaire: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “the river that swallows all rivers”
- Origin
- Portuguese
- Say it
- zah-EER · 2 syllables
- Used for
- Boys (86% of all uses)
Zaire comes via Portuguese Zaire, a form of Kongo Nzadi/Nzere, the name of the Congo River. As a given name it is modern and inspired by the river and former country name.
How popular is Zaire?
Babies named Zaire in 2024664
2024 rank#472 boys
Peak year2023
Total US babies since 188010,284
Zaire is rising: use over the last five years is 2.6× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like Zaire
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
Zaire questions
What does the name Zaire mean?
Zaire means "the river that swallows all rivers". It comes from Portuguese. Zaire comes via Portuguese Zaire, a form of Kongo Nzadi/Nzere, the name of the Congo River. As a given name it is modern and inspired by the river and former country name.
Is Zaire a boy or girl name?
Zaire is mainly a boy's name in US records (86% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Zaire?
664 US babies were named Zaire in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.
How do you pronounce Zaire?
Zaire is usually pronounced zah-EER.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.