Fun Facts About the Name Safari
- 504 babies named Safari: U.S. records list 504 babies given the name Safari from 1880 through 2025. Even 138 boys received the name Safari - about 1 boy for every 3 girls.
What Does the Name Safari Mean?
Safari means "journey" or "expedition." It is a Swahili word, borrowed from Arabic safar (سفر), "a journey, travel," which comes from the verb safara, "to travel." The same Arabic root gives musafir, "traveler." Swahili, an East African language shaped by centuries of contact with Arabic-speaking traders, took the word over with its basic sense intact: a trip or a journey, usually overland. That literal meaning is what the personal name carries.
English later narrowed the word toward a particular kind of journey - an organized expedition, especially a hunting or wildlife trip in East Africa - but that is a development of the English usage, not a change in the original sense.
Safari Name History & Origins
The word entered Swahili along the East African coast, where Arabic served for centuries as a language of trade, religion, and learning. Swahili speakers used safari for any journey or trip, and it still carries that broad meaning today. English speakers adopted the word during the nineteenth century, when European exploration and hunting expeditions in East Africa were described in travel accounts and the word came to name the expedition itself, with its porters, guides, and camps.
As a personal name, Safari follows the word rather than a saint, a ruler, or a literary character. It is used in East Africa, particularly in Kenya and Tanzania where Swahili is widely spoken, and it also appears in the United States and other English-speaking countries as a word name in the manner of English names taken directly from vocabulary. Apple's Safari web browser, introduced in 2003, is a separate modern use of the word and has no connection to the name's origin.
How Popular is the Name Safari?
Safari 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 2022. Its best rank was #4,437 in 2023.
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 | #8,774 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #8,310 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2023 | #6,360 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #4,999 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2021 | #7,565 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #7,888 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #9,628 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #7,698 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #7,374 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #7,916 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #5,799 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2014 | #7,579 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #9,509 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #13,238 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #7,719 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2010 | #11,096 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #16,881 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #6,523 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #18,621 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #17,856 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #13,198 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,574 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #7,625 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #9,937 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #15,620 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #13,122 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #7,959 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #9,443 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #7,377 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #11,439 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,787 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #7,157 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2023 | #4,437 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2022 | #6,088 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #8,049 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #7,401 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #10,594 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #5,273 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #6,019 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #7,062 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #13,690 | 5 | 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 Safari Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Safari's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Safari's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.