| Zuri | Nia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Beautiful | Purpose |
| Origin | swahili | swahili |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ZOO-ree | NEE-ah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1971 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2022 (1,523) | 2000 (1,033) |
| In 2025 | 932 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Zuri | Nia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,795 | 2,932 |
| 2010s | 7,024 | 6,546 |
| 2000s | 1,239 | 8,571 |
| 1990s | 522 | 5,283 |
| 1980s | 208 | 1,198 |
| 1970s | 56 | 788 |
| 1960s | 0 | 85 |
| 1950s | 0 | 19 |
Swahili, 'beautiful,' from the adjective -zuri ('good, beautiful'; cf. nzuri, uzuri 'beauty'). Chiefly feminine. A sometimes-cited Basque meaning ('white') is weakly sourced.
Swahili, 'purpose, intention,' from Arabic niyya. Also one of the seven Kwanzaa principles. Chiefly feminine.
Zuri is more popular than Nia today: about 932 US babies were given the name Zuri in 2025, compared with 0 named Nia.
Zuri means Beautiful (swahili origin), while Nia means Purpose (swahili origin).
In US records, Zuri first appears in 1971 and Nia in 0, so Nia has the longer recorded history.