Arwa
An Arabic feminine name meaning "loftiness" or "high rank".
Name Census estimates that about 1,282 living Americans carry the first name Arwa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Arwa today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arwa births was 2023 (97 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arwa. 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.
Key insights
- • Arwa is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 267,359 Americans
Peak year
2023
97 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,167
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Arwa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arwa from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 468 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arwa 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 Arwa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arwas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. New York, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Arwa, while Washington, Virginia, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Arwa
The name Arwa originates from the Arabic language and has its roots in the ancient Semitic cultures of the Middle East. It is derived from the Arabic word "arwah," which means "soul" or "spirit." The name has been in use for centuries and is believed to have first emerged during the early Islamic era, around the 7th century CE.
Arwa is a name with deep historical significance in the Arab world. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab historian and scholar, al-Tabari, who mentioned a notable woman named Arwa bint Ahmad al-Sulamiyya in his work, "The History of the Prophets and Kings." She lived in the 9th century CE and was known for her piety and knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence.
Another prominent figure with the name Arwa was Arwa al-Sulayhi, a powerful Queen of Yemen who ruled from 1067 to 1138 CE. She was renowned for her military prowess, political acumen, and patronage of the arts and sciences. Her reign marked a golden age for Yemen, and she is celebrated as one of the most influential female rulers in Islamic history.
In the realm of literature, Arwa is the name of a character in the famous Arabic literary work, "The Book of Songs" by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, written in the 10th century CE. The character Arwa is depicted as a beautiful and intelligent woman, renowned for her wit and charm.
Moving forward in time, Arwa was also the name of a prominent 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet from Persia, known as Arwa al-Zanjani. Her poetic works, which reflected her deep spiritual insights and devotion to the mystical path, have been widely studied and appreciated throughout the Islamic world.
Another notable figure named Arwa was Arwa Qadri, a celebrated Pakistani poet and writer who lived from 1936 to 2020. Her literary contributions, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and social issues, earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious Pride of Performance award from the Pakistani government.
These are just a few examples of the historical and literary significance of the name Arwa, which has been borne by remarkable individuals across various fields and eras, reflecting its enduring appeal and the richness of its cultural heritage.
People
Arwa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arwa 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
Arwa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arwa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,282 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arwa 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 267,359 US residents.
Is Arwa a common name?
We classify Arwa as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,302 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arwa most popular?
The single biggest year for Arwa was 2023, when 97 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arwa is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Arwa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arwa in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.