Asim
A masculine Arabic name meaning "protector" or "defender".
Name Census estimates that about 1,236 living Americans carry the first name Asim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Asim today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Asim births was 2022 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Asim. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 277,309 Americans
Peak year
2022
57 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,992
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Asim: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Asim from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 311 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Asim remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Asim 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 Asim during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Asims live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Asim, while Virginia, New Jersey, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Asim
The name Asim is of Arabic origin, derived from the word 'asim' which means 'protector' or 'guardian'. It has been a popular name in the Arab world and among Muslim communities for centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Asim dates back to the 7th century AD, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. One of the most notable historical figures with this name was Asim ibn Thabit, a companion of the Prophet and a brave warrior who fought in several battles during the early Islamic era.
In the 9th century, Asim al-Tusi was a prominent Persian scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of logic and metaphysics. His works were widely studied and influenced later thinkers in the Islamic world.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from 750 to 1258 AD, several individuals named Asim held important positions in the government and military. One such figure was Asim ibn Ali al-Jarrah, a military commander who played a crucial role in the conquest of Anatolia in the 9th century.
In more recent times, Asim Munir Bajwa, born in 1966, is the current Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army, appointed in November 2022. He has had a distinguished military career and is known for his leadership and strategic vision.
Another prominent figure with the name Asim is Asim Qureshi, a British author, researcher, and activist who has written extensively on issues related to human rights, counterterrorism, and civil liberties. He was born in 1982 and is the founder of the advocacy organization CAGE.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Asim, reflecting its deep roots and significance within the Arabic and Islamic cultural traditions.
People
Asim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Asim 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
Asim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Asim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,236 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Asim 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 277,309 US residents.
Is Asim a common name?
We classify Asim as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,264 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Asim most popular?
The single biggest year for Asim was 2022, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Asim is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Asim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Asim 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.
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.