Ibsa
A masculine Arabic name derived from the word "labasa" meaning "to wear".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Ibsa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ibsa today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ibsa births was 2019 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ibsa. 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 Ibsa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2019
6 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#11,290
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Ibsa: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ibsa 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 Ibsa 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 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ibsa
The name Ibsa has its roots in the Amharic language, which is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is believed to have originated during the ancient Aksumite Kingdom, which flourished in the region from around the 1st century BC to the 8th century AD.
The name Ibsa is derived from the Ge'ez word "ኢብሳ" (ʾIbsā), which means "his grace" or "his mercy." This suggests that the name may have been given to children as a way of expressing gratitude or seeking divine favor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ibsa can be found in the Kebra Nagast, a 14th-century literary work that recounts the legendary origins of the Solomonic dynasty in Ethiopia. In this text, Ibsa is mentioned as the name of one of the descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ibsa. One of the most prominent was Ibsa Hakim (1492-1567), a renowned Ethiopian philosopher and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Ge'ez literature and theology.
Another notable bearer of the name was Ibsa al-Nuri (1765-1835), an Ethiopian-born writer and scholar who lived in Egypt and wrote extensively on Islamic philosophy and jurisprudence.
In the 19th century, Ibsa Taye (1830-1895) was a prominent Ethiopian military leader and diplomat who played a crucial role in the struggle against Italian colonialism.
More recently, Ibsa Gutama (1923-2009) was an Ethiopian politician and diplomat who served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1983 to 1986.
Ibsa Edao (1943-2019) was a renowned Ethiopian artist and painter, known for his vibrant and expressive depictions of traditional Ethiopian life and culture.
While the name Ibsa has deep historical roots in the Amharic language and Ethiopian culture, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly among communities with ties to the Horn of Africa region.
People
Ibsa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ibsa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ibsa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ibsa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ibsa 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Ibsa a common name?
We classify Ibsa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ibsa most popular?
The single biggest year for Ibsa was 2019, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ibsa is about 7 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 Ibsa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ibsa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ibsa 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 Ibsa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ibsa 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 Ibsa 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 called Ibsa?
You can see how many Americans are named Ibsa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.