Barakah
An Arabic name meaning blessing, divine grace, or prosperity.
Name Census estimates that about 41 living Americans carry the first name Barakah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Barakah today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Barakah births was 2018 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Barakah. 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 Barakah with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Barakah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
41
~ 1 in 8,359,862 Americans
Peak year
2018
10 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,545
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Barakah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Barakah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 26 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
Barakah 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 Barakah 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 Barakah
The name Barakah has its roots in the Arabic language, originating from the word "baraka," which means "blessing" or "divine grace." It is a name that has been used in the Arab world and by Muslim communities for centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Barakah dates back to the 7th century, during the time of the Islamic Golden Age. It is believed to have been inspired by the Quranic verse, "And He has placed within them affection and mercy." (Quran, 30:21), which refers to the blessings and mercies bestowed upon humankind by God.
One of the earliest known figures to bear the name Barakah was Barakah ibn Malik al-Ansari (d. 692), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a prominent figure in early Islamic history. He participated in several significant battles and played a crucial role in the spread of Islam.
In the 12th century, Barakah al-Samarkandi (d. 1182) was a renowned scholar and jurist from Samarkand, known for his contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence. His works on Islamic law and theology were widely studied and influential during his time.
Another notable figure was Barakah al-Baghdadi (d. 1144), a renowned Sufi mystic and spiritual teacher from Baghdad. He was known for his profound insights into the mystical aspects of Islam and his teachings on the path of spiritual enlightenment.
In the 13th century, Barakah ibn Malik al-Qurashi (d. 1286) was a prominent scholar and poet from Egypt. He was renowned for his mastery of Arabic literature and his poetic works, which celebrated the beauty of the Arabic language and explored themes of love and spirituality.
More recently, Barakah Muhammad al-Husayni (1900-1974) was a Palestinian scholar and political leader who played a significant role in the Palestinian national movement. He served as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and was a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights and independence.
Throughout history, the name Barakah has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including religion, scholarship, literature, and politics. Its meaning of "blessing" and "divine grace" has endowed it with a sense of reverence and spiritual significance within the Arab and Muslim world.
People
Barakah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Barakah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Barakah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Barakah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 41 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Barakah 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 8,359,862 US residents.
Is Barakah a common name?
We classify Barakah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Barakah most popular?
The single biggest year for Barakah was 2018, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Barakah is about 7 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 Barakah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Barakah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Barakah 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.
Is Barakah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Barakah 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 Barakah 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 Barakah?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.