Fun Facts About the Name Tarek
- More than 2 thousand babies named Tarek: U.S. records list 2,278 babies given the name Tarek from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Tarek Mean?
Tarek is an Arabic name and a variant of Tariq (طارق). It comes from the Arabic root ṭ-r-q, whose verb ṭaraqa means "to knock" or "to come by night." The noun ṭāriq means "night visitor" or "one who knocks," and it is also used for the star that appears in the night sky, customarily understood as the morning star (Venus). In the Quran, Surah 86 is called At-Tariq, "the night-comer," where the word is applied to a piercing star. The literal sense is therefore tied to knocking or coming at night, while the common name meaning is "morning star."
Tarek Name History & Origins
The name belongs to the Arabic language. The best-known early bearer is Tariq ibn Ziyad, an Umayyad commander who led the Muslim landing in Iberia in 711. The rock at the southern tip of Spain, Jabal Ṭāriq ("Mountain of Tariq"), became Gibraltar. His campaign is a landmark in the history of al-Andalus, and the name Tariq spread through Arabic-speaking and Muslim societies.
Tarek is one of several transliterations of Ṭāriq used in English and other languages. The spelling with e is common in Egypt and appears in North African usage; Tariq, Tarik, and Tareq are other forms. The differences reflect both Arabic dialect pronunciation and the lack of a single standard way to render Arabic letters in the Latin alphabet. The name is used in Arabic-speaking countries and by Muslim communities elsewhere, including in Europe and North America.
How Popular is the Name Tarek?
Tarek 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 1996. Its best rank was #1,303 in 1985.
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 | #4,687 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2024 | #4,163 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2023 | #3,278 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 2022 | #3,402 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2021 | #3,486 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2020 | #3,481 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2019 | #3,887 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2018 | #2,742 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2017 | #2,338 | 56 | 0.0030% |
| 2016 | #2,618 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 2015 | #2,674 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2014 | #3,215 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2013 | #2,989 | 38 | 0.0020% |
| 2012 | #3,226 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2011 | #3,590 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2010 | #3,297 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2009 | #2,795 | 44 | 0.0022% |
| 2008 | #2,874 | 42 | 0.0021% |
| 2007 | #3,373 | 33 | 0.0016% |
| 2006 | #2,650 | 45 | 0.0022% |
| 2005 | #2,524 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 2004 | #2,689 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 2003 | #2,420 | 44 | 0.0022% |
| 2002 | #1,968 | 57 | 0.0029% |
| 2001 | #2,244 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2000 | #2,127 | 48 | 0.0024% |
| 1999 | #1,964 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 1998 | #1,738 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 1997 | #1,725 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 1996 | #1,571 | 64 | 0.0034% |
| 1995 | #1,732 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 1994 | #1,864 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1993 | #1,537 | 60 | 0.0031% |
| 1992 | #1,489 | 62 | 0.0031% |
| 1991 | #1,525 | 58 | 0.0029% |
| 1990 | #1,776 | 45 | 0.0022% |
| 1989 | #1,702 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 1988 | #1,641 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 1987 | #1,631 | 43 | 0.0023% |
| 1986 | #1,721 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1985 | #1,303 | 55 | 0.0030% |
| 1984 | #1,554 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1983 | #2,485 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1982 | #1,730 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1981 | #1,986 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1980 | #1,650 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1979 | #2,096 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1978 | #1,828 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 1977 | #1,852 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1976 | #1,706 | 31 | 0.0020% |
| 1975 | #1,995 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 1974 | #1,973 | 23 | 0.0015% |
| 1973 | #2,114 | 20 | 0.0013% |
| 1972 | #1,922 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1971 | #2,042 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1970 | #2,205 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1969 | #2,041 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1968 | #2,189 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1967 | #2,237 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1966 | #3,506 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #2,598 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #4,562 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1962 | #3,997 | 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 Tarek Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
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.
✦ Tarek's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Tarek's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.