Ebrahim
A masculine name with Semitic origins meaning "father of many nations".
Name Census estimates that about 582 living Americans carry the first name Ebrahim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ebrahim today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ebrahim births was 2016 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ebrahim. 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
582
~ 1 in 588,925 Americans
Peak year
2016
36 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,706
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Ebrahim: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ebrahim from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 227 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ebrahim remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ebrahim 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 Ebrahim during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ebrahims live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Ebrahim, while New Jersey, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ebrahim
The name Ebrahim is derived from the Arabic language and is the Arabic form of the Hebrew name Abraham. It is a popular name in the Islamic world and has been in use for centuries. The name Ebrahim can be traced back to the biblical figure Abraham, who is revered in the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The origin of the name Abraham can be found in the Book of Genesis, where Abraham is referred to as the patriarch of the Israelites and a significant figure in the monotheistic faiths. The name Ebrahim is believed to be derived from the Hebrew words "av" meaning "father" and "rāmā" meaning "exalted" or "high," suggesting the meaning "exalted father" or "father of many nations."
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Ebrahim can be found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. The Quran mentions Abraham, referred to as Ebrahim, as a prophet of God and a significant figure in Islamic tradition. The name is also mentioned in other Islamic texts, such as the Hadith, which are the recorded sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ebrahim. One of the earliest was Ebrahim ibn Adham, an 8th-century Muslim ascetic and mystic from Balkh (now in modern-day Afghanistan). Another prominent figure was Ebrahim al-Fazari, a 9th-century Muslim scholar and jurist from Basra (now in modern-day Iraq).
In the 12th century, Ebrahim al-Mawsili was a renowned Muslim astronomer and mathematician from Mosul (now in modern-day Iraq). Ebrahim Lodi, who lived from 1456 to 1517, was the founder of the Lodi dynasty and ruled the Delhi Sultanate in medieval India.
More recently, Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim was a prominent South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who lived from 1937 to 1998. He played a significant role in the struggle against apartheid and served as the Deputy President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Ebrahim throughout history, showcasing its enduring popularity and significance across various cultures and time periods.
People
Ebrahim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ebrahim as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ebrahim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ebrahim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 582 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ebrahim 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 588,925 US residents.
Is Ebrahim a common name?
We classify Ebrahim as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 589 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ebrahim most popular?
The single biggest year for Ebrahim was 2016, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ebrahim is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ebrahim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ebrahim 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.
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.