The word is derived from the Arabic verb (Arabic: طرق, ṭaraqa) meaning to strike, and into the agentive form (Arabic: طارق, ṭāriq) meaning striker.
It started to get used as a name after Tariq ibn-Ziyad, a military Berber leader who conquered Iberia (Spain and Portugal) in 711 AD.
Ṭariq is used in classical Arabic for the one who travels at night time —a night visitor— as the bedouin Arabs normally found it that a traveler from long distances would usually arrive at night avoiding the scorching heat.
It refers to someone who comes in the middle of the night and knocks on the door. The linguistic idea behind it being: the coming at night, and the calling to attention or surprise.
In Arabic literature, the use of the word appears in several places including most-notably the Qur'an, where ṭāriq referred to the brilliant stars at night in (At-Tariq, verse 1). Stars can be eloquently referred to as Tariqs because they come out at night, and it is the common understanding of the word nowadays due to the Qur'an.
We can also find it in many poems. For example, from the famous poets Imru' al-Qais and Jarir ibn Atiyah.
Tarec Saffiedine, Belgian martial artist
Tarééc, German singer of Lebanese-Palestinian origin (real name Tarek Hussein)
Tarek Al Ali (born 1986), Lebanese footballer
Tarek Al Eryan (born 1963), Palestinian-American film director
Tarek Al-Wazir (born 1971), German politician
Tarek Ali Abdullah Ahmed Baada (born 1976), Yemeni extrajudicial prisoner of the United States
Tarek Ali Hassan (born 1937), Egyptian writer
Tarek Amer (born 1989), Egyptian football player
Tarek bin Laden (born 1947), Saudi Arabian businessperson
Tarek Boukensa (born 1981), Algerian runner
Tarek Dergoul (born 1977), British extrajudicial prisoner of the United States
Tarek El-Said (born 1978), Egyptian football player
Tarek El-Telmissany (born 1950), Egyptian cinematographer
Tarek Elrich (born 1987), Australian football player
Tarek Elsetouhi, Egyptian bodybuilder
Tarek Fatah (born 1949), Canadian political activist
Tarek Hadj Adlane (born 1965), Algerian football player
Tarek Heggy (born 1950), Egyptian writer
Tarek Jabban (born 1975), Syrian football player
Tarek Kamel, Egyptian politician
Tarek Lazizi (born 1971), Algerian football player
Tarek Madkour (born 1967), Egyptian engineer
Tarek Mostafa (born 1971), Egyptian football player
Tarek Saab, Lebanese-Venezuelan politician
Tarek Shahin (born 1982), Egyptian cartoonist
Tarek Shawki (born 1957), Egyptian engineer
Tarek Thabet (born 1971), Tunisian football player
Tarek Wegner, American musician and member of Night Beats
Tarek Yehia (born 1961), Egyptian football player
Tarek El Moussa (born 1982), American TV host
Tarek Ihaddaden (born 2000)
Tarick Salmaci, boxer who featured on the TV show The Contender
Tarık Akan, Turkish film actor
Tarık Akıltopu, Turkish architect
Tarik Black, NBA player
Tarik Cerić, Bosnian footballer
Tarık Daşgün, Turkish footballer
Tarik Elyounoussi (born 1988), Norwegian football player
Tarik Ergin, actor who played the part of Lieutenant Ayala in Star Trek: Voyager
Tarik Filipović, Bosnian actor
Tarik Glenn, American football offensive tackle playing for the Indianapolis Colts
Tarık Göçmen (born 1975), Turkish ice hockey coach
Tarik "Rvssian" Johnston, Jamaican music producer
Tarik O'Regan, British composer living in New York City, USA
Tarik Samarah, Bosnian photographer who works in artistic and documentary photography
Tarik Sektioui, Moroccan footballer
Tarik Sulayman, Muslim Filipino military leader.
Lord Tariq, rap artist who had collaborations with Peter Gunz
Tareq Abboushi, Palestinian-American musician and composer
Tareq Al-Suwaidan, Kuwaiti intellectual, entrepreneur, Islamic scholar and reformer
Tariq Abdul-Wahad, French NBA basketball player formerly known as Olivier Saint-Jean
Tariq Ali, a British-Pakistani writer and film-maker
Tariq Anwar (film editor), a film editor
Tariq Anwar (politician), an Indian politician
Tariq Aziz, former Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq under Saddam Hussein
Tariq Hanna, famous pastry chef featured on Food Network
Tariq Hussain (musician), Canadian musician
Tariq Jakobsen, Danish graphic design personality
Tariq Jameel, Pakistani Islamic scholar with Tablighi Jamaat
Tariq Ramadan, Swiss academic and Islamic theologian
Tariq Sims, Australian NRL player
Tariq Trotter, lead artist from the rap group The Roots
Tariq ibn-Ziyad, one of the Berber conquerors of the Iberian Peninsula in 711
Kashmala Tariq, Pakistani politician
Shahbaz Tariq, Norwegian politician
Tariq Bhat, Indian film director
Tariq, a character played by Kaysar Miah in the British web series Corner Shop Show.
Gibraltar is the Spanish derivation of the Arabic name Jabal Aṭtāriq (جبل طارق), meaning "Mountain of Tariq".