Exum
A masculine given name of English origin, a variation of the surname Exon.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Exum. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Exum today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Exum births was 1915 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Exum. 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 Exum. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1915
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1923 SSA rank
#4,443
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Exum: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Exum from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 6 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
Exum 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 Exum during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Exums live
Origin
Meaning and history of Exum
The name Exum has its origins in the ancient Aramaic language, which was widely spoken in the Middle East during the first millennium BC. It is believed to be derived from the Aramaic word "eksum," meaning "strong" or "powerful." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who exhibited traits of strength and resilience.
The earliest known historical reference to the name Exum can be found in the ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets dating back to the 7th century BC. These tablets, which contain records of administrative and legal transactions, mention individuals bearing the name Exum, indicating that it was in use among the Aramaic-speaking populations of the region.
During the Byzantine era, around the 5th century AD, the name Exum gained popularity among Christian communities in the Middle East. It is recorded that a prominent monk named Exum lived in the Syrian desert during this time, and his reputation for piety and asceticism contributed to the widespread adoption of the name among believers.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the name Exum was Exum of Edessa, a Christian bishop who lived in the 6th century AD. He is renowned for his efforts in promoting the spread of Christianity in the region and for his writings on theological matters.
In the 8th century AD, Exum ibn Abi Hashim was a renowned Arab mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad. His contributions to the study of algebra and his treatises on celestial mechanics were highly influential during the Islamic Golden Age.
During the Crusades, in the 12th century, there was a Frankish knight named Exum de Montfort who fought alongside the Christian forces in the Holy Land. His bravery and prowess in battle earned him a reputation among his contemporaries.
In the 15th century, Exum Ghir was a prominent Persian poet and scholar who authored several works on literature, philosophy, and mysticism. His poetry, which often celebrated the beauty of nature and the human spirit, was widely admired and studied in the Persian literary circles of the time.
The name Exum has persisted throughout various cultures and historical periods, carried by individuals who have left their mark in diverse fields, from religion and scholarship to warfare and literature. While its usage has evolved over time, the name continues to evoke a sense of strength and resilience, reflecting its ancient Aramaic origins.
People
Exum + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Exum 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
Exum: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Exum?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Exum 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 - US residents.
Is Exum a common name?
We classify Exum as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Exum most popular?
The single biggest year for Exum was 1915, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Exum is about 0 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 Exum in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Exum a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Exum 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 Exum still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Exum 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 Exum 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 are named Exum?
Find out how many Americans are named Exum on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.