Awab
A given masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "forgiver, indulgent, or bountiful".
Name Census estimates that about 243 living Americans carry the first name Awab. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Awab today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Awab births was 2016 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Awab. 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 Awab with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
243
~ 1 in 1,410,512 Americans
Peak year
2016
20 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,860
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Awab: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Awab 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 132 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Awab remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Awab 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 Awab during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Awabs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Awab
The name Awab is of Arabic origin, deriving from the word "awab," which means "one who repents." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the early centuries of Islam, around the 7th century AD.
The earliest recorded use of the name Awab can be found in various Islamic texts and historical records from that period. It was a popular name among Arab scholars and religious figures, as it symbolized a commitment to repentance and seeking forgiveness.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Awab was a 7th-century Arab scholar and poet, Awab bin Abi Sufyan. He was a renowned figure in the court of the Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah I and is recognized for his contributions to early Islamic literature.
Another notable individual with the name Awab was Awab bin Zuhayr, a 9th-century Arab poet and writer from Basra, Iraq. He was renowned for his mastery of the Arabic language and his works were widely celebrated during his time.
In the 11th century, Awab al-Basri was a prominent Sufi scholar and mystic from Basra, Iraq. He was known for his teachings on spiritual purification and his influence on the development of Sufism.
During the 12th century, Awab bin Ahmad al-Andalusi was a renowned Muslim scholar and philosopher from Andalusia (modern-day Spain). He made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy, and his works were widely studied in the Islamic world.
In the 14th century, Awab al-Din al-Bukhari was a respected Islamic scholar and jurist from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. He was known for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and his interpretations of religious texts.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Awab throughout history. The name has continued to be used in various parts of the Arab world and Muslim communities, carrying with it the symbolic meaning of repentance and spiritual devotion.
People
Awab + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Awab 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
Awab: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Awab?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 243 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Awab 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 1,410,512 US residents.
Is Awab a common name?
We classify Awab as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 245 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Awab most popular?
The single biggest year for Awab was 2016, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Awab is about 11 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 Awab in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Awab a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Awab 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 Awab still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Awab 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 Awab 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 Americans are named Awab?
See how many people have the name Awab on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.