Fatemah
A feminine Arabic name derived from the root meaning "to wean", implying purity.
Name Census estimates that about 163 living Americans carry the first name Fatemah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fatemah today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fatemah births was 2010 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fatemah. 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
163
~ 1 in 2,102,787 Americans
Peak year
2010
11 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,949
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Fatemah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fatemah from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 55 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fatemah 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 Fatemah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fatemah
The name Fatemah is of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "fatama," which means "to wean" or "to be weaned." It is a feminine name that has been used for centuries in various parts of the Islamic world and among Muslim communities globally.
The earliest and most prominent historical reference to the name Fatemah is found in Islamic tradition and the Quran, where it is associated with Fatimah al-Zahra, the youngest daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Born in 615 CE in Mecca, Fatimah al-Zahra is revered as one of the most important figures in Islam and is considered a role model for Muslim women.
The name Fatemah gained significant importance and popularity among Muslims as a result of its association with Fatimah al-Zahra. It became a common choice for naming daughters, and several notable women throughout history have borne this name.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Fatemah was Fatimah bint al-Walid, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and the sister of Khalid ibn al-Walid, a famous military commander in early Islamic history. She lived in the 7th century CE and played a role in the spread of Islam during its early years.
Another prominent figure was Fatimah al-Firhi, a Muslim woman from Tunisia who founded the University of Al-Karaouine in Fez, Morocco, in 859 CE. This institution is considered one of the oldest continuously operating universities in the world and a significant center of learning and scholarship during the Islamic Golden Age.
In the 12th century, Fatimah bint Muhammad al-Arabi al-Andalusi, also known as Fatima of Cordova, was a renowned mystic and writer from Andalusia, Spain. Her works on Sufi philosophy and spirituality were highly influential in the Islamic world.
During the 16th century, Fatimah Sultan, the daughter of Ottoman Sultan Selim I, was a prominent figure in the Ottoman Empire. She established several charitable foundations, including mosques, schools, and hospitals, and played a crucial role in the cultural and intellectual life of the empire.
In more recent history, Fatimah Jinnah, the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was a prominent political figure and an advocate for women's rights. She played a significant role in the Pakistani independence movement and served as the first female Governor of the Pakistani province of West Pakistan from 1949 to 1954.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Fatemah, a name deeply rooted in Islamic tradition and cultural significance.
People
Fatemah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fatemah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fatemah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fatemah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 163 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fatemah 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 2,102,787 US residents.
Is Fatemah a common name?
We classify Fatemah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 168 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fatemah most popular?
The single biggest year for Fatemah was 2010, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fatemah is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fatemah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fatemah in the SSA data are female. 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.