Ayyoub
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "Job" or "repentant".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Ayyoub. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ayyoub today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ayyoub births was 2012 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ayyoub. 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 Ayyoub with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ayyoub. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
2012
7 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2012 SSA rank
#9,813
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Ayyoub: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ayyoub from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 7 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
Ayyoub 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 Ayyoub during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ayyoub
The name Ayyoub is of Arabic origin, derived from the Biblical name Job. It dates back to ancient times and is rooted in the Semitic languages of the Middle East.
The name Ayyoub is a direct Arabic translation of the Hebrew name Iyyov, which means "persecuted" or "one who is tried by suffering." This name is associated with the Biblical figure Job, a righteous man who endured immense suffering and trials yet remained faithful to God.
The Book of Job, found in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, is a poetic account of Job's life and his struggle with pain, loss, and the existential question of why the righteous suffer. The name Ayyoub is deeply ingrained in the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as Job is revered as a prophet in all three religions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ayyoub can be found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. In the Quran, Ayyoub is mentioned as a prophet known for his patience and steadfastness in the face of adversity.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ayyoub. One of the earliest was Ayyoub ibn Habib Al-Lakhmi (c. 650 – c. 720), a renowned Arab poet and judge from the Umayyad Caliphate era.
Another significant figure was Ayyoub Ansari (1034 – 1089), a Sufi mystic and poet from Persia (present-day Iran). He is revered for his spiritual writings and teachings, which influenced the development of Sufism in the region.
In the 12th century, Ayyoub Salah ad-Din (1137 – 1193), better known as Saladin, was a prominent Kurdish Muslim leader and Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He is remembered for his military campaigns against the Crusaders and his chivalrous conduct during the Crusades.
In the realm of literature, Ayyoub Al-Khalil (1951 – 2019) was a renowned Palestinian novelist and short story writer. His works explored themes of identity, displacement, and the Palestinian experience under occupation.
More recently, Ayyoub Al-Ariani (1950 – 2005) was a Moroccan writer and intellectual known for his contributions to Arabic literature and his advocacy for human rights and democracy in the Arab world.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Ayyoub, a name that carries a rich legacy rooted in ancient traditions and religious narratives.
People
Ayyoub + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ayyoub 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
Ayyoub: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ayyoub?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ayyoub 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Ayyoub a common name?
We classify Ayyoub as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ayyoub most popular?
The single biggest year for Ayyoub was 2012, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ayyoub is about 16 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 Ayyoub in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ayyoub a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ayyoub 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 Ayyoub still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ayyoub 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 Ayyoub 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 have the name Ayyoub?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Ayyoub on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.