Damaj
An Arabic name meaning "one who knits or weaves".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Damaj. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Damaj today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Damaj births was 2008 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Damaj. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Damaj. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2008
5 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2010 SSA rank
#12,642
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Damaj: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Damaj 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 5 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
Damaj 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 Damaj 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 Damaj
The name Damaj is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, tracing its roots back to the Middle Eastern region. It is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "damaj," which means "to weave" or "to intertwine," suggesting a connection to the art of weaving or perhaps a metaphorical reference to intertwining paths or destinies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Damaj can be found in the ancient Arabian poetry of the pre-Islamic era, where it was used as a descriptive term for skilled weavers or poets who skillfully wove words together. However, its use as a personal name is not widely documented until the rise of Islam in the 7th century.
During the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century, the name Damaj gained prominence among Arab scholars and intellectuals. One notable bearer of this name was Damaj al-Isfahani, a renowned scholar of Arabic linguistics and poetry who lived in the 10th century. His contributions to the study of the Arabic language and literature were highly influential during that time.
In the 12th century, another individual named Damaj ibn Isa al-Muqaddasi gained recognition as a prominent Muslim geographer and traveler. His work, "Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Marifat al-Aqalim" (The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions), was a significant contribution to the field of geography and provided valuable insights into the cultural and socio-economic conditions of various regions across the Islamic world.
Another historical figure with the name Damaj was Damaj al-Bahili, a skilled poet and warrior who lived in the 7th century during the early days of Islam. His poetry, which often celebrated bravery and valor in battle, was widely admired and recited among Arab tribes.
In the 14th century, Damaj al-Dimashqi, a Syrian scholar and mathematician, made notable contributions to the field of astronomy and mathematics. He is particularly remembered for his work on the calculation of planetary positions and the refinement of astronomical tables.
It is worth noting that while the name Damaj has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, its use has also spread to other regions and communities over time. However, its historical significance and cultural associations remain closely tied to its Middle Eastern origins.
People
Damaj + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Damaj as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Damaj: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Damaj?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Damaj 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Damaj a common name?
We classify Damaj as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Damaj most popular?
The single biggest year for Damaj was 2008, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Damaj is about 17 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 Damaj in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Damaj a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Damaj 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 Damaj still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Damaj 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 Damaj 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 share the name Damaj?
Want to know how many Americans are named Damaj? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.