Arkeem
Of Arab origin, meaning "noble and generous".
Name Census estimates that about 208 living Americans carry the first name Arkeem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Arkeem today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arkeem births was 1989 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arkeem. 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.
People living today
208
~ 1 in 1,647,857 Americans
Peak year
1989
27 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,289
Tracked since 1983
Census
Arkeem in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 174 people with the first name Arkeem, which placed it at #41,801 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#41,801
National first-name rank
People counted
174
174 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
97.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arkeem
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arkeem is Black at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Arkeem described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Arkeem at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.7% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Popularity
Arkeem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arkeem from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 121 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arkeem 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 Arkeem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arkeems live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Georgia, Florida, South Carolina recorded the most babies named Arkeem, while South Carolina, Florida, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Arkeem
The given name Arkeem has its origins rooted in the Arabic language and culture, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "kareem," which means "noble" or "generous." This name was commonly used in various regions of the Middle East and North Africa, where Arabic culture and influence were prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arkeem can be found in historical accounts from the 9th century, during the Abbasid Caliphate. It is said that Arkeem ibn Abdallah, a renowned scholar and poet from Basra, Iraq, gained recognition for his contributions to Arabic literature. Born in 812 CE, he was celebrated for his mastery of the Arabic language and his eloquent verses.
In the 11th century, the name Arkeem was associated with Arkeem al-Andalusi, a prominent philosopher and mathematician from Cordoba, Spain. His works on astronomy and mathematics were highly regarded during the golden age of Islamic civilization. Al-Andalusi was born in 1010 CE and made significant contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the region.
During the 13th century, Arkeem al-Baghdadi, a skilled calligrapher from Baghdad, Iraq, gained acclaim for his intricate and beautiful calligraphic works. Born in 1215 CE, his artistry adorned numerous manuscripts and architectural structures, leaving a lasting impact on the Islamic artistic tradition.
In the 14th century, Arkeem al-Dimashqi, a renowned traveler and geographer from Damascus, Syria, penned notable works detailing his extensive journeys across the Middle East and beyond. Born in 1325 CE, his accounts provided valuable insights into the cultures, customs, and landscapes of the regions he visited.
Another historical figure bearing the name Arkeem was Arkeem al-Qurashi, a revered Islamic scholar and jurist from Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Born in 1455 CE, he was renowned for his profound knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and his influential teachings, which shaped the understanding of Islamic law for generations to come.
While these are just a few examples, the name Arkeem has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields, from literature and art to science and scholarship. The name's enduring presence across centuries and regions reflects its deep-rooted cultural significance and the rich legacy of the Arabic language and traditions.
People
Arkeem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arkeem 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
Arkeem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arkeem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 208 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arkeem 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 1,647,857 US residents.
Is Arkeem a common name?
We classify Arkeem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 213 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arkeem most popular?
The single biggest year for Arkeem was 1989, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arkeem is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Arkeem in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 174 people with the name Arkeem, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #41,801 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Arkeem in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Arkeem?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Arkeem leans strongly male. 168 people counted with this name were male (94.9%), compared with 9 female bearers (5.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Arkeem?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arkeem is Black at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Arkeem most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Arkeem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.7% (170 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Arkeem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arkeem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arkeem 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 Arkeem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arkeem 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 Arkeem 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.
How many people share the name Arkeem?
Find out how many people have the name Arkeem on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.