Habil
An Arabic name meaning "amiable, friendly, or pleasant".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Habil. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Habil today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Habil births was 2013 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Habil. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Habil with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Habil. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2013
5 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,796
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Habil: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Habil 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 Habil 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 Habil
The name Habil has its origins in the Arabic language, derived from the root word "habil" which means "gentle" or "mild". It is a variant of the name Abel, which is found in the Bible and other Abrahamic religious texts.
The earliest recorded use of the name Habil can be traced back to the Qur'an, where it refers to the son of Adam and Eve who was slain by his brother Cain (Qabil in Arabic). This biblical narrative has been influential in the naming traditions of various cultures and religions, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
In Islamic tradition, Habil is revered as a righteous and obedient individual whose sacrifice was accepted by God. His name is often associated with virtues such as patience, humility, and devotion.
One notable figure in history who bore the name Habil was Habil ibn Qais, a famous Arab poet and warrior who lived in the 6th century CE. He was known for his eloquence and bravery in battle, and his poetry has been widely celebrated in the Arabic literary tradition.
Another prominent individual named Habil was Habil al-Qurti, a 10th-century Muslim scholar and philosopher from Cordoba, Spain. He made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and logic during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization.
In the 12th century, Habil ibn Muhammad al-Harrani was a renowned Arab astronomer and mathematician from present-day Syria. He is credited with developing advanced astronomical instruments and contributing to the study of celestial mechanics.
Habil al-Barqi, born in 1307 CE in present-day Iraq, was a renowned Sufi mystic and poet whose works explored themes of divine love and spiritual enlightenment. His poetic anthology, Diwan al-Habil al-Barqi, is widely read and studied in the Islamic world.
In more recent times, Habil Delgado (1906-1983) was a prominent Ecuadorian poet and diplomat, known for his contributions to the literary movement of "criollismo" which celebrated the country's diverse cultural heritage.
While the name Habil has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic tradition, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and societies throughout history, often carrying connotations of gentleness, righteousness, and devotion.
People
Habil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Habil as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Habil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Habil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Habil 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 Habil a common name?
We classify Habil 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 Habil most popular?
The single biggest year for Habil was 2013, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Habil is about 13 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 Habil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Habil a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Habil 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 Habil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Habil 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 Habil 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 common is the name Habil?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.