Fun Facts About the Name Khouri
- 49 babies named Khouri: U.S. records list 49 babies given the name Khouri from 1880 through 2025. Even 11 boys received the name Khouri - about 1 boy for every 3 girls.
What Does the Name Khouri Mean?
Khouri, also spelled Khoury, El Khoury, or Al-Khouri, is an Arabic name meaning "priest," specifically a Christian priest. It comes from the Arabic word khūrī (خوري), the ordinary Arabic term for a priest in the Christian communities of the Middle East.
The Arabic word is generally traced to the Syriac-Aramaic kūmrā, a term for a priest, which is related to Hebrew komer (כומר), also used for a Christian priest. Because the base word is a title for a clergyman rather than a descriptive adjective, the surname most likely began as an occupational or honorific name, marking a priest or a family tied to the priesthood. The prefixed forms El-Khoury and Al-Khouri add the Arabic definite article and mean simply "the priest."
Khouri Name History & Origins
The name is characteristic of Arabic-speaking Christians of the Levant and Egypt - Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Melkites, Syriac Christians, and Copts - among whom surnames taken from clerical titles are common. Families with the name are found in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt, and it appears in community records in the forms Khoury, Khouri, El-Khoury, and Al-Khouri.
Because khūrī is a title for a priest, such a surname usually points to a priestly ancestor or to a family long associated with the church; the related clerical surname Qassis, from another Arabic word for priest, follows the same pattern. In Lebanon the form El-Khoury is well documented, and Bechara El Khoury served as the country's first president after independence in 1943.
How Popular is the Name Khouri?
Khouri has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2017. Its best rank was #11,629 in 2011.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,570 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #16,366 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #14,733 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #13,174 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #13,427 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #16,276 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | #13,197 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #11,629 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Khouri Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Khouri's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Khouri's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.