Entry № 6774 · Swahili origin

Zuri Zuri — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ ZOO-ree /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Swahili
Meaning
"Beautiful, good"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 314
First recorded
Modern (as name)

A name that means "beautiful, good".

Zuri comes from the Swahili word for "beautiful" or "good" — used in everyday speech across East Africa from Kenya to Tanzania to the Congo. As a given name, Zuri has been common in the African continent for generations, and is now rising rapidly in the African diaspora and beyond.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter Rumi Carter has a friend named Zuri. Disney's Black Panther (2018) included a character named Zuri, played by Forest Whitaker. The name's two-syllable shape and clean meaning have made it one of the fastest-rising names in the United States over the past five years.

Two syllables. Five letters. A meaning every parent can hold.

A Swahili word that became a name. A name parents on every continent now choose.

The name in its native script.

Zuri
Transliteration
Zuri
Pronunciation
/ ˈzu.ɾi /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Zuri stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 314 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 314 in 2026
Babies named Zuri · last year
932 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
2014
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · №314 NOW · №314

Zuris before her.

Real people
Zuri Adele
American actress, known for the TV series Good Trouble.
born 1992
In fiction
Zuri
Wakandan elder played by Forest Whitaker in the Marvel film Black Panther.
2018 film
Zuri Ross
Title character of the Disney Channel series Jessie.
2011–2015

Names connected to Zuri.

The number behind Zuri.

6

The Nurturer

Zuri reduces to six — the number of harmony, beauty, and quiet care.

Why families chose this name.

"It's a Kenyan word. We're a Kenyan family. There was no other name."
Wanjiku · Mother of one · Nairobi