Araf
An Arabic masculine name derived from the word "araf" meaning "knowledge".
Name Census estimates that about 181 living Americans carry the first name Araf. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Araf today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Araf births was 2023 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Araf. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Araf with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
181
~ 1 in 1,893,670 Americans
Peak year
2023
16 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,469
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Araf: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Araf from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 89 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Araf remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Araf by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Araf during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arafs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Araf
The name Araf has its origins in the Arabic language and can be traced back to the Islamic cultures of the Middle East. It is derived from the Arabic word "Araf," which means "to know" or "to recognize." The name is believed to have emerged during the early centuries of Islam, around the 7th century AD.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Araf can be found in the Quran, the sacred text of Islam. In Surah Al-A'raf, the seventh chapter of the Quran, the term "Araf" is used to describe a elevated place or a partition between Paradise and Hell. This association with the Quranic verse may have influenced the naming traditions within Islamic communities.
The first known historical figure bearing the name Araf was Araf bin Al-Harith, a prominent Arab poet who lived in the 6th century AD. He was renowned for his eloquence and his works have been preserved in various literary anthologies of the time. Another notable figure was Araf Al-Qurashi, a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who lived in the 9th century AD and made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence.
In the 11th century, Araf Al-Kindi, an influential Arab philosopher and scientist, gained recognition for his works in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. He was a student of the renowned scholar Al-Kindi and played a crucial role in the translation and preservation of ancient Greek texts.
During the 13th century, Araf Al-Masri, an Egyptian astronomer and mathematician, made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the development of astronomical instruments. His works were widely influential in the Islamic world and beyond.
In more recent times, Araf Karimi, an Afghan politician and diplomat, served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Afghanistan from 2010 to 2019. He played a pivotal role in international diplomacy and represented Afghanistan on various global platforms.
While the name Araf has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has since been adopted and used across various regions and communities around the world. Its meaning and historical significance continue to resonate with those who bear this name, reflecting a rich cultural heritage and a connection to the origins of Islamic civilization.
People
Araf + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Araf as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Araf: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Araf?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 181 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Araf going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,893,670 US residents.
Is Araf a common name?
We classify Araf as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 182 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Araf most popular?
The single biggest year for Araf was 2023, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Araf is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Araf in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Araf a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Araf in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Araf still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Araf in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Araf can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Araf?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.