Awwal
An Arabic masculine name meaning "first" or "foremost".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Awwal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Awwal today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Awwal births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Awwal. 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 Awwal with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Awwal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#12,389
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Awwal: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Awwal 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 Awwal 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Awwal
The name Awwal is derived from the Arabic word 'awwal,' which means 'first' or 'beginning.' It has its roots in the ancient Arabic language and culture, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 7th century CE, during the advent of Islam.
In Islamic tradition, the name Awwal is often associated with the concept of being the first or the beginning of something significant. It is believed to have been used as a name for individuals who were born at a significant time or were the first-born child in their family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Awwal can be found in the historical records of the Abbasid Caliphate, where it was mentioned as the name of a prominent scholar and poet, Awwal bin Abi Awwal (born circa 725 CE), who lived during the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Awwal was Awwal al-Din Kaikaus I, the Seljuk Sultan of Rum (present-day Turkey) who ruled from 1211 to 1220 CE. He was known for his military campaigns and his efforts in promoting Islamic culture and architecture in the region.
During the medieval period, the name Awwal was also found in the records of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria. One such example is Awwal al-Din Qutuz, a Mamluk Sultan who reigned from 1259 to 1260 CE and is remembered for his victory over the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut.
In the 14th century, Awwal al-Din Hasan Gangu, a prominent architect and engineer from the Delhi Sultanate in India, was responsible for the construction of several notable monuments, including the Alai Darwaza and the Begumpuri Masjid in Delhi.
Another historical figure who bore the name Awwal was Awwal al-Din Khilji, a Sultan of the Khilji dynasty in India, who ruled from 1296 to 1316 CE. He is known for his military conquests and the expansion of the Delhi Sultanate during his reign.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who carried the name Awwal, reflecting its significance and usage across various cultures and time periods in the Islamic world and beyond.
People
Awwal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Awwal 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
Awwal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Awwal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Awwal 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Awwal a common name?
We classify Awwal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Awwal most popular?
The single biggest year for Awwal was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Awwal is about 10 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 Awwal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Awwal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Awwal 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 Awwal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Awwal 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 Awwal 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 share the name Awwal?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.