Hawra
A feminine Arabic name meaning "blossom" or "flower".
Name Census estimates that about 56 living Americans carry the first name Hawra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hawra today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hawra births was 2013 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hawra. 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 Hawra. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
56
~ 1 in 6,120,613 Americans
Peak year
2013
11 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2020 SSA rank
#15,984
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Hawra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hawra from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 41 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
Hawra 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 Hawra 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 Hawra
The name Hawra is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic-speaking regions. It is derived from the Arabic word "hawra," which means "gazelle" or "doe." The name likely emerged during the medieval period when Arabic culture and language flourished.
In ancient times, gazelles were revered animals in the deserts of the Middle East, known for their grace, beauty, and speed. Naming a child Hawra was a way to imbue them with the qualities associated with these majestic creatures, such as elegance, agility, and resilience.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hawra can be found in the writings of the renowned Arabic poet Al-Mutanabbi, who lived from 915 to 965 CE. In his poetic works, he often used the name Hawra as a metaphor for a beautiful and graceful woman, further cementing its connection to the gazelle.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hawra. One such person was Hawra bint Ahmed al-Khazrajiyya (1120-1185), a renowned Islamic scholar and poet from Andalusia, who was celebrated for her expertise in hadith (the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) and her contributions to Arabic literature.
Another prominent figure was Hawra bint Ibrahim al-Hadrami (1305-1378), a Sufi mystic and spiritual leader from Yemen. Her teachings and writings had a profound impact on the Sufi tradition in the region.
In the 18th century, Hawra bint Isa al-Khalidi (1710-1785) was a prominent educator and reformer from Syria. She established several schools for girls and advocated for women's education, which was a revolutionary idea at the time.
More recently, Hawra Nabeel (1892-1964) was a pioneering Egyptian journalist and feminist activist. She founded one of the first women's magazines in Egypt, "Al-Masriyya," and played a crucial role in the early stages of the women's rights movement in her country.
Hawra al-Araji (1923-2015) was an influential Iraqi writer and intellectual. Her novels and short stories explored themes of social justice, women's rights, and the struggles of the Iraqi people during times of conflict and upheaval.
While the name Hawra may not be as common today as it once was, it remains a beautiful and meaningful moniker that carries a rich cultural heritage and symbolism from the Middle East.
People
Hawra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hawra 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
Hawra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hawra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 56 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hawra 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 6,120,613 US residents.
Is Hawra a common name?
We classify Hawra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 56 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hawra most popular?
The single biggest year for Hawra was 2013, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hawra is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hawra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hawra 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.