Belal
A masculine Arabic name meaning "one who lives with integrity".
Name Census estimates that about 684 living Americans carry the first name Belal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Belal today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Belal births was 2003 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Belal. 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.
People living today
684
~ 1 in 501,103 Americans
Peak year
2003
28 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,198
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Belal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Belal from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 192 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Belal remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Belal 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 Belal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Belals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Michigan, Illinois recorded the most babies named Belal, while New York, Illinois, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Belal
The name Belal has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic root word "balal," which means "moisture" or "wetness." This root word is also found in other Arabic names such as Bilal and Balal.
In Islamic tradition, Belal is believed to be a variant of the name Bilal ibn Rabah, a former Abyssinian slave who became one of the most trusted and revered companions of the Prophet Muhammad. Bilal was chosen by Muhammad to be the first muezzin, the caller to prayer, in the early days of Islam. His story is widely celebrated in Islamic literature and poetry for his unwavering faith and devotion.
The earliest recorded use of the name Belal can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic era. It appears in some historical records and manuscripts from that period, although its popularity and widespread use likely came later.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Belal was Belal al-Baghdadi, a renowned Islamic scholar and historian who lived in the 9th century CE. He was born in Baghdad and is known for his works on the history of Islamic jurisprudence and hadith studies.
Another influential figure was Belal ibn Yahya, a 10th-century Arabic poet and literary critic from Cordoba, Spain. He was a prominent figure in the literary circles of the Umayyad Caliphate and is renowned for his works on Arabic poetry and literary criticism.
In the 12th century, Belal al-Dimashqi was a Syrian geographer and traveler who wrote extensively about his journeys across the Middle East and North Africa. His accounts provide valuable insights into the geography, culture, and society of the region during that time.
During the Ottoman Empire, Belal Efendi was a notable Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier (prime minister) in the 16th century. He played a significant role in the administration and governance of the empire during his tenure.
More recently, Belal Fadl was an Egyptian writer, journalist, and literary critic who lived in the 20th century. He was a prominent figure in the Arabic literary world and is known for his contributions to modern Arabic literature and literary criticism.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Belal. While the name has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has transcended borders and has been adopted by various cultures and communities around the world.
People
Belal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Belal 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
Belal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Belal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 684 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Belal 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 501,103 US residents.
Is Belal a common name?
We classify Belal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 697 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Belal most popular?
The single biggest year for Belal was 2003, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Belal is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Belal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Belal 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.
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.