Hareem
Of Arabic origin, meaning "forbidden" or "harem".
Name Census estimates that about 417 living Americans carry the first name Hareem. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hareem today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hareem births was 2012 (54 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hareem. 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 Hareem with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
417
~ 1 in 821,953 Americans
Peak year
2012
54 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,094
Tracked since 1995
Census
Hareem in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 427 people with the first name Hareem, which placed it at #23,071 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#23,071
National first-name rank
People counted
427
427 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
91.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hareem
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hareem is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Black (2.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hareem described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hareem at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.3% · 390
- White2.8% · 12
- Black or African American2.1% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 7
- Two or more races1.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Popularity
Hareem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hareem from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 327 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hareem 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 Hareem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hareems live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. New York, California, Virginia recorded the most babies named Hareem, while New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hareem
The name Hareem has its origins in the Arabic language and is believed to have been derived from the word "haram," which means "sanctuary" or "sacred place." The name is closely associated with Islamic culture and tradition, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia.
In ancient times, the term "haram" referred to a sacred space or precinct surrounding a holy site, such as the Kaaba in Mecca. The name Hareem may have been given to individuals born or residing in close proximity to such holy places, or to those who were tasked with guarding or maintaining these sacred spaces.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hareem can be found in the works of renowned Arab poets and scholars from the 8th and 9th centuries CE. These literary works often featured characters or individuals bearing the name, highlighting its cultural significance during that era.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Hareem. One such individual was Hareem al-Rashid, a celebrated Arab mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 9th century CE. His contributions to the fields of algebra and trigonometry were groundbreaking and influential during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Hareem ibn Khaldun, a renowned 14th-century Arab historian, philosopher, and social scientist. His seminal work, the "Muqaddimah," is considered a pioneering work in the fields of sociology, historiography, and economics, and remains widely studied and acclaimed to this day.
In the realm of literature, Hareem al-Basri, an 8th-century Arab poet and scholar, is remembered for his profound and influential works that explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition. His poetry has been widely anthologized and studied across the Arab world and beyond.
Moving to more recent times, Hareem Pasha was a prominent 19th-century Ottoman statesman and diplomat. He served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire and played a crucial role in implementing significant administrative and legal reforms during the Tanzimat period.
Another notable figure was Hareem Khan, an 18th-century Afghan warrior and military leader who played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Durrani Empire. His military exploits and leadership skills were widely celebrated and chronicled in Afghan folklore and historical accounts.
The name Hareem has a rich cultural and historical legacy, deeply rooted in the Arabic language and Islamic tradition. Its association with sacred spaces, scholarship, and notable figures throughout history reflects its enduring significance and the diverse contributions of those who have borne this name.
People
Hareem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hareem 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
Hareem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hareem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 417 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hareem 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 821,953 US residents.
Is Hareem a common name?
We classify Hareem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 420 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hareem most popular?
The single biggest year for Hareem was 2012, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hareem is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hareem in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 427 people with the name Hareem, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,071 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hareem in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hareem?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Hareem leans strongly female. 407 people counted with this name were female (97.1%), compared with 12 male bearers (2.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hareem?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hareem is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Black (2.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hareem most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Hareem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (390 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Hareem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hareem a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hareem 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.
Is Hareem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hareem 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 Hareem 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.
How common is the name Hareem?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.