Dhahran
An Arabic name meaning "red soil" or "sand dunes".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Dhahran. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dhahran today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dhahran births was 1991 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dhahran. 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 Dhahran. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1991
9 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
1991 SSA rank
#5,628
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Dhahran: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Dhahran 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 Dhahran during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 | 0 | 9 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Dhahran
The name Dhahran has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "dahran," which means "age" or "time." It is believed to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula, where it was commonly used among the nomadic tribes of the region.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Dhahran can be found in ancient Arabic poetry and literature, where it was often used as a metaphor for the passage of time or the fleeting nature of life. In some Islamic texts, the name is also mentioned in relation to the concept of eternity and the enduring nature of God.
The first recorded use of the name Dhahran as a personal name dates back to the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic era. One of the earliest known individuals to bear this name was Dhahran ibn Abi al-'Asa, a prominent Arab poet and warrior who lived in the 7th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have carried the name Dhahran. One of the most famous was Dhahran al-Ghamdi (1876-1935), a Saudi Arabian tribal leader and warrior who played a significant role in the unification of the Arabian Peninsula under the House of Saud.
Another notable figure was Dhahran al-Utaybi (1890-1969), a renowned Saudi Arabian poet and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Arabic literature and Islamic culture.
In the 20th century, the name Dhahran gained additional prominence due to its association with the city of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia, which was established in the 1930s as a center for the country's oil industry. One of the most famous individuals associated with this city was Dhahran al-Jibrin (1920-1995), a Saudi Arabian businessman and philanthropist who played a key role in the development of the city's infrastructure and economy.
Other notable individuals who have carried the name Dhahran include Dhahran al-Rashid (1915-1985), a Saudi Arabian diplomat and politician who served as the country's ambassador to several nations, and Dhahran al-Sabah (1932-2020), a member of the Kuwaiti royal family and a prominent figure in the country's political and cultural circles.
People
Dhahran + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dhahran 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
Dhahran: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dhahran?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dhahran 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Dhahran a common name?
We classify Dhahran as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dhahran most popular?
The single biggest year for Dhahran was 1991, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dhahran is about 34 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 Dhahran in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dhahran a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dhahran 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 Dhahran still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dhahran 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 Dhahran 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 Dhahran?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.