Bekim
A name of Albanian origin, meaning "son of the Sultan."
Name Census estimates that about 155 living Americans carry the first name Bekim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bekim today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bekim births was 1981 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bekim. 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 Bekim with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
155
~ 1 in 2,211,318 Americans
Peak year
1981
10 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,382
Tracked since 1970
Census
Bekim in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 443 people with the first name Bekim, which placed it at #22,452 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#22,452
National first-name rank
People counted
443
443 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
93.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bekim
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bekim is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Bekim described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Bekim at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 415
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 11
- Black or African American1.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Popularity
Bekim: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bekim from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 44 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Bekim remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bekim 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 Bekim during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bekims live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bekim
The name Bekim has its origins in the Albanian language and culture. It is derived from the old Albanian word "bek," which means "lord" or "master." The name can be traced back to the medieval period in the Balkans region, particularly in areas that are now parts of Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.
During the Ottoman rule in the Balkans, the name Bekim was often used by members of the Albanian nobility or influential families. It carried a sense of authority and prestige. Some historical records suggest that the name was also associated with military leaders or high-ranking officials in the Ottoman administration.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bekim can be found in the Albanian epic poem "The Songs of the Frontier Warriors," which dates back to the 15th century. The poem mentions a character named Bekim, who was a brave warrior and defender of his people against invaders.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Bekim. One of the most prominent figures was Bekim Fehmiu (1936-2010), a renowned Albanian actor who gained international recognition for his roles in numerous films, including "The Two Worlds of Inspiration" and "La Battaglia di Algeri."
Another notable bearer of the name was Bekim Gjokaj (1907-1987), an Albanian poet and writer who made significant contributions to the Albanian literature during the 20th century. His works often explored themes of national identity, resistance, and the struggle for independence.
In the field of sports, Bekim Balaj (born 1966) was a prominent Albanian footballer who played as a striker for various clubs in Albania and Greece. He is considered one of the greatest Albanian players of all time and was a key member of the Albanian national team in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Bekim Mustafi (born 1992) is a professional football player who plays as a defender for the Swiss national team. He has represented Switzerland in major international tournaments, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 European Championship.
Bekim Frashëri (1934-2021) was an Albanian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Albania from 1982 to 1992. He played a significant role in the transition of Albania from a communist state to a multi-party democracy.
People
Bekim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bekim 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
Bekim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bekim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 155 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bekim 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 2,211,318 US residents.
Is Bekim a common name?
We classify Bekim as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 161 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bekim most popular?
The single biggest year for Bekim was 1981, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bekim is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Bekim in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 443 people with the name Bekim, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,452 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Bekim in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Bekim?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Bekim appears almost entirely male. Of the 436 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Bekim?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bekim is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Bekim most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Bekim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (415 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Bekim in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bekim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bekim 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 Bekim still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bekim 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 Bekim 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.
How common is the name Bekim?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.