Diab
A masculine Arabic name meaning "wolf."
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Diab. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Diab today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Diab births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Diab. 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 Diab. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#12,694
Tracked since 2016
Census
Diab in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 116 people with the first name Diab, which placed it at #51,012 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
#51,012
National first-name rank
People counted
116
116 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
86.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diab
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Diab is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Diab 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 Diab at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 100
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Popularity
Diab: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Diab 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 Diab during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Diab
The name Diab has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "dhib," which means "wolf." The name is believed to have originated in the Middle East region during ancient times.
In Arabic literature and poetry, the wolf has been a symbol of strength, courage, and leadership qualities. The name Diab was likely given to individuals who were perceived to possess these traits or were perhaps born under astrological signs associated with the wolf.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Diab can be found in the writings of the famous Arab poet Al-Mutanabbi, who lived in the 10th century. He wrote a poem praising a warrior named Diab for his bravery and valor on the battlefield.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Diab. One of the most famous was Diab bin Ali Al-Kabir (1030-1109), a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian from Persia. He wrote extensively on various subjects, including philosophy, theology, and jurisprudence.
Another notable figure was Diab Al-Attar (1162-1234), a Sufi mystic and poet from Persia. He is renowned for his spiritual writings and poetry, which have had a significant influence on Sufi literature and philosophy.
In the 13th century, Diab Ibn Maymun Al-Andalusi (1199-1283) was a prominent mathematician and astronomer from the Iberian Peninsula. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and wrote several treatises on astronomy and astrology.
During the Ottoman Empire, Diab Pasha (1670-1733) was a prominent military leader and statesman. He served as the Governor of Baghdad and played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Ottoman Empire's territories in the Middle East.
In more recent times, Diab Shalah (1958-present) is a Palestinian politician and the co-founder of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). He has been a prominent figure in the Palestinian national movement and has held various leadership positions within Hamas.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Diab throughout history. The name has a rich cultural heritage and has been associated with various fields, including literature, religion, science, and politics.
People
Diab + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Diab 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
Diab: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Diab?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Diab 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Diab a common name?
We classify Diab as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Diab most popular?
The single biggest year for Diab was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Diab is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Diab in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 116 people with the name Diab, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,012 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 Diab 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 Diab?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Diab leans strongly male. 111 people counted with this name were male (98.2%), compared with 2 female bearers (1.8%). 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 Diab?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Diab is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Diab most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Diab in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (100 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 Diab in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Diab a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Diab 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 Diab still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Diab 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 Diab 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 are called Diab?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.