Ebrahima
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "father of many".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Ebrahima. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ebrahima today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ebrahima births was 2011 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ebrahima. 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 Ebrahima. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2011
5 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2011 SSA rank
#12,822
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Ebrahima: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ebrahima 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 Ebrahima 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 Ebrahima
The name Ebrahima has its origins in the Arabic language and is a variant of the biblical name Abraham. It is derived from the ancient Semitic root "Ạ-B-R," which means "father of a multitude" or "father of many nations."
The name Abraham is found in several religious texts, including the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the Quran, and the Book of Mormon. In the biblical narrative, Abraham is a prominent figure revered as the patriarch of the Israelites and the father of the Islamic and Christian faiths.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ebrahima can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the advent of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. It was a popular name among Arab Muslims, who held Abraham in high regard as a prophet and a significant figure in Islamic tradition.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ebrahima. One of the earliest was Ebrahima ibn Muhammad al-Baydawi (1286-1319), a renowned Persian scholar and theologian who wrote influential commentaries on the Quran and Islamic jurisprudence.
Another prominent figure was Ebrahima al-Mughiri (1786-1856), a Moroccan scholar and Sufi mystic who played a significant role in the revival of Islamic spirituality in North Africa during the 19th century.
In West Africa, the name Ebrahima has been widely used among various ethnic groups, particularly in regions with a strong Muslim influence. One notable bearer of the name was Ebrahima Sanogo (1868-1939), a Malian military leader and ruler of the Tukulor Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In more recent times, Ebrahima Sori Coulibaly (1932-2019) was a prominent Ivorian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from 1990 to 1993.
Another noteworthy figure was Ebrahima Daouda Mbaye (1937-2020), a Senegalese historian and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of the history and culture of West Africa.
The name Ebrahima has maintained its popularity across various cultures and regions, reflecting the profound influence of the figure of Abraham and his legacy in major world religions. Its enduring use throughout history serves as a testament to the significance of this name and its deep-rooted cultural and religious connotations.
People
Ebrahima + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ebrahima 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
Ebrahima: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ebrahima?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ebrahima 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 Ebrahima a common name?
We classify Ebrahima 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 Ebrahima most popular?
The single biggest year for Ebrahima was 2011, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ebrahima is about 15 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 Ebrahima in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ebrahima a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ebrahima 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 Ebrahima still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ebrahima 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 Ebrahima 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 Americans are named Ebrahima?
You can see how many Americans are named Ebrahima on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.