Haythem
A masculine Arabic name meaning "young man" or "handsome young lad".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Haythem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Haythem today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Haythem births was 2013 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Haythem. 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 Haythem with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Haythem. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2013
6 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2018 SSA rank
#12,862
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Haythem: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Haythem 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 Haythem 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 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Haythem
The name Haythem is of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "هيثم" (Haytham), which means "young eagle" or "falcon." This name's history can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the early Islamic era in the Arabian Peninsula.
The earliest known bearer of this name was the renowned Arab mathematician, astronomer, and physicist Haythem Ibn al-Haytham, also known as Alhazen (965-1040 CE). He is considered one of the most influential scientists in the history of optics and is credited with pioneering the scientific method and experimental physics.
Another notable figure with this name was Haythem al-Kindi (801-873 CE), an Arab philosopher, mathematician, and scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of metaphysics, logic, and physical science during the Islamic Golden Age.
In the realm of literature, Haythem al-Zayyat (1923-1978) was an Egyptian novelist and short story writer renowned for his works that explored social and political themes in Egypt during the 20th century.
The name Haythem also has religious significance in Islam, as it is mentioned in the Quran as one of the names of God. This association has contributed to its popularity among Muslims worldwide.
Other notable individuals who have borne this name include Haythem al-Maleh (1932-2020), a Syrian lawyer and human rights activist who advocated for civil rights and democratic reforms in his country, and Haythem Sellami (born 1981), a Tunisian professional football player who has represented his country in international competitions.
While the name Haythem has its roots in the Arab world, it has gained recognition and usage across various cultures and regions, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, where it is still commonly used as a given name for boys.
People
Haythem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Haythem 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
Haythem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Haythem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Haythem 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Haythem a common name?
We classify Haythem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% 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 Haythem most popular?
The single biggest year for Haythem was 2013, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Haythem is about 11 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 Haythem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Haythem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Haythem 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 Haythem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Haythem 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 Haythem 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 Haythem?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.