Dawoud
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "beloved" or "friend".
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the first name Dawoud. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dawoud today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dawoud births was 2021 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dawoud. 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 Dawoud with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
116
~ 1 in 2,954,779 Americans
Peak year
2021
15 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,899
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Dawoud: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dawoud 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 63 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
Dawoud 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 Dawoud during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dawouds live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dawoud
The name Dawoud is of Arabic origin, derived from the Semitic root word "dwd" which means "beloved" or "friend". It is the Arabic form of the name David, which has its roots in the Hebrew language. The name Dawoud has been in use since ancient times in the Middle East and North Africa.
This name holds great significance in Islamic tradition as it is believed to be the name of the Prophet David, who is revered as one of the most important prophets in the Quran. The story of Prophet Dawoud is mentioned in several chapters of the Quran, highlighting his role as a powerful leader, warrior, and a recipient of divine revelations.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Dawoud can be found in the Quran itself, which dates back to the 7th century CE. The name is also mentioned in various Arabic literature and historical records from the medieval period, indicating its widespread use among Arab populations.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Dawoud. One of the most famous was Dawoud al-Antaki, a renowned Arab physician and philosopher who lived in the 11th century CE and made significant contributions to the field of medicine and philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Dawoud Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and military commander who lived in the 16th century CE. He played a crucial role in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire and was known for his strategic military campaigns.
In more recent times, Dawoud Bey, an American photographer and educator born in 1953, has gained recognition for his powerful and thought-provoking works that explore themes of race, identity, and social justice.
Dawoud Hosseini, an Afghan diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1960s, was also a notable bearer of the name.
Additionally, Dawoud Rajiha, a Syrian military officer and government official, gained prominence during the ongoing Syrian civil war, serving as the Minister of Defense until his assassination in 2012.
People
Dawoud + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dawoud 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
Dawoud: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dawoud?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 116 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dawoud 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 2,954,779 US residents.
Is Dawoud a common name?
We classify Dawoud as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 117 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dawoud most popular?
The single biggest year for Dawoud was 2021, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dawoud is about 8 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 Dawoud in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dawoud a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dawoud 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 Dawoud still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dawoud 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 Dawoud 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 Dawoud?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.