Arfaan
Derived from Arabic, it denotes a person blessed with knowledge or wisdom.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Arfaan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Arfaan today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arfaan births was 2017 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arfaan. 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 Arfaan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Arfaan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2017
6 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#10,881
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Arfaan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Arfaan 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 Arfaan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Arfaan
The name Arfaan is of Arabic origin and is derived from the root word "arfan," which means "bright" or "shining." It is a relatively uncommon name and its earliest recorded use dates back to the 7th century during the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.
One of the earliest known references to the name Arfaan can be found in the works of the renowned Arab scholar and poet Al-Farazdaq, who lived in the 7th century. In one of his poems, he mentions a person named Arfaan, describing him as a wise and learned individual.
During the medieval period, the name Arfaan was occasionally used among the Arab nobility and intellectual circles. One notable figure bearing this name was Arfaan ibn Abi Al-Hasan Al-Basri, a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian who lived in the 9th century. He was known for his expertise in Quranic exegesis and hadith studies.
In the 12th century, there was a famous Sufi mystic named Arfaan Al-Baghdadi, who hailed from Baghdad and was renowned for his spiritual teachings and poetic writings. His works have been studied and revered by Sufi orders throughout the centuries.
Another historical figure with the name Arfaan was Arfaan Al-Andalusi, a celebrated mathematician and astronomer from the Iberian Peninsula during the 10th century. His contributions to the field of mathematics, particularly in the field of algebra, were significant and influential.
In more recent times, one notable individual with the name Arfaan was Arfaan Ahmad Khan, an Indian Muslim scholar and writer who lived in the 19th century. He was known for his works on Islamic jurisprudence and his efforts in promoting education among the Muslim community in British India.
While the name Arfaan has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has also been adopted by other communities around the world, particularly in regions with significant Muslim populations. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name, cherished for its rich historical and cultural significance.
People
Arfaan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arfaan 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
Arfaan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arfaan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arfaan 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Arfaan a common name?
We classify Arfaan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arfaan most popular?
The single biggest year for Arfaan was 2017, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arfaan is about 9 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 Arfaan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arfaan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arfaan 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 Arfaan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arfaan 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 Arfaan 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 are called Arfaan?
You can see how many Americans are named Arfaan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.