Short answer:

It’s the French name for a rodent that lives on the Caribbean island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In English they are known as the Hispaniola Hutia (Plagiodontia aedium) and are part of the agouti subfamily.

Long answer:

When I got my first full-time job as webmaster for the Florida Museum of Natural History in 2000, there was a poster about Haitian wildlife that hung above my new desk right above my monitor in direct line of sight. It had illustrations of plants and animals native to the island and was written in French. I was attracted to the word “zagouti” on the poster and started using it as a username online and later as my DJ handle. I”m not sure how you pronounce it properly (and I’m probably butchering it since it’s French) but I say Zah-goo-tea.

Agoutis are shy rodents that are found in areas of central America and the West Indies. They are similar to guinea pigs but are roughly the size of a housecat, have longer legs and a hairless tail, although the species vary in size and habits. I don’t necessarily personally identify with them – although they are nocturnal and I’ve been told they can be quite social, playful and cute as they burrow, aww – but I think it’s a cool-looking word and, best of all, it’s usually always available as a username! I haven’t run into someone else who uses it yet…so that’s me. These days I mostly reserve it for music-related services.