Careem
Careem is an Arabic masculine name meaning "generous" or "noble".
Name Census estimates that about 152 living Americans carry the first name Careem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Careem today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Careem births was 2021 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Careem. 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
152
~ 1 in 2,254,963 Americans
Peak year
2021
12 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,037
Tracked since 1975
Census
Careem in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 150 people with the first name Careem, which placed it at #45,340 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
#45,340
National first-name rank
People counted
150
150 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
83.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Careem
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Careem is Black at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Careem 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 Careem at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.3% · 125
- Two or more races7.3% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 8
- White4.0% · 6
Popularity
Careem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Careem from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 42 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
Careem 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 Careem 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 Careem
The name Careem is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with roots tracing back to the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. It is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "Kareem," which means "generous" or "noble." This connection suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals who embodied these virtuous qualities.
In the Islamic tradition, the name Careem holds a significant meaning as it is one of the 99 names attributed to Allah, the Supreme Being. It is often associated with generosity, nobility, and magnanimity, reflecting the divine attributes of the Creator. This connection has contributed to the name's widespread use among Muslim communities.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Careem can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the rise of Islam and the expansion of Arab culture. It was commonly used by Arab scholars, poets, and prominent figures of the time, such as Careem Al-Basri, a renowned Islamic scholar who lived from 652 to 728 AD and is renowned for his contributions to the study of Quranic exegesis.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Careem, leaving their marks in various fields. One such figure is Careem Khan Zand, the founder of the Zand dynasty in Persia (modern-day Iran), who ruled from 1751 to 1779. His reign was marked by a period of stability and cultural renaissance in the region.
Another prominent figure with the name Careem is Careem Ansari, a 15th-century Sufi saint and poet from the Indian subcontinent. His literary works, imbued with spiritual wisdom and mystical teachings, have had a lasting impact on the Sufi tradition.
In more recent times, Careem Chughtai, a renowned Pakistani artist and painter born in 1911, gained international recognition for his unique style of combining traditional Islamic art with modern elements. His works are celebrated for their vibrant colors and intricate designs.
Careem Jamal, an Egyptian actor and singer born in 1914, was also a prominent figure in the Arab entertainment industry. He starred in numerous films and plays, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of his time.
It is worth noting that while the name Careem has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has transcended geographical and religious boundaries, being embraced by various communities around the world, reflecting the universality of its noble meaning and the enduring appeal of its rich heritage.
People
Careem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Careem as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Careem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Careem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 152 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Careem 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 2,254,963 US residents.
Is Careem a common name?
We classify Careem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 155 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Careem most popular?
The single biggest year for Careem was 2021, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Careem is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Careem in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 150 people with the name Careem, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #45,340 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 Careem 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 Careem?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Careem leans strongly male. 150 people counted with this name were male (98.0%), compared with 3 female bearers (2.0%). 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 Careem?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Careem is Black at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Careem most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Careem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (125 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 Careem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Careem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Careem 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 Careem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Careem 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 Careem 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 many people share the name Careem?
Find out how many people have the name Careem on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.