Ihsan
An Arabic masculine name meaning beneficence, virtue or excellence.
Name Census estimates that about 643 living Americans carry the first name Ihsan. It is a predominantly male name (93.9% of registrations). The average person named Ihsan today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ihsan births was 2023 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ihsan. 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.
People living today
643
~ 1 in 533,055 Americans
Peak year
2023
42 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,821
Tracked since 1974
Gender
Gender distribution for Ihsan
Ihsan leans heavily male at 93.9% of total registrations, but 40 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ihsan as a male name
- Ranked #3,821 in 2024
- 29 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (37 births)
Ihsan as a female name
- Ranked #16,086 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2021 (9 births)
Popularity
Ihsan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ihsan from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 260 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ihsan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ihsan 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 Ihsan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ihsans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Ihsan, while Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ihsan
The name Ihsan originates from the Arabic language and has its roots in the Islamic culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "ihsan," which means "excellence" or "perfection." The name has been in use for centuries and is associated with virtues such as kindness, compassion, and benevolence.
Ihsan is mentioned in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as a concept that emphasizes the importance of doing good deeds with sincerity and excellence. The Quranic verse, "Verily, Allah enjoins justice and ihsan (excellence)," (Quran 16:90) highlights the significance of this name and its meaning.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ihsan can be found in the famous work of Islamic literature, "The Book of Misers" by Al-Jahiz, a 9th-century Arab prose writer and literary theorist. In this book, Al-Jahiz mentions a character named Ihsan ibn Thabit, who was known for his generosity and good deeds.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ihsan. One such individual was Ihsan Doğramacı (1915-2010), a Turkish physician and academician who played a significant role in establishing the Hacettepe University in Ankara and served as its first rector. He was also the founder of the World Health Organization's International Children's Center and received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to medicine and education.
Another prominent figure was Ihsan al-Nuri (1834-1892), an Ottoman statesman and historian who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1887 to 1891. He was known for his efforts to modernize the Ottoman Empire and his historical writings, including "The History of Baghdad."
In the field of literature, Ihsan Abdel Quddous (1919-1990) was an Egyptian novelist, playwright, and journalist. His works, such as "I Am Free" and "The Prostitute," tackled social and political issues in Egypt and contributed significantly to the development of modern Arabic literature.
Ihsan Ali al-Shurji (1898-1969) was an Iraqi poet and writer who played a prominent role in the Iraqi literary renaissance of the 20th century. His poetry collections, including "The Book of Roses" and "The Book of Love," were widely acclaimed and celebrated for their lyrical beauty and emotional depth.
Lastly, Ihsan Seddon (1923-2021) was a New Zealand politician and the first woman of Pacific Island descent to be elected to the New Zealand Parliament. She served as a member of parliament from 1972 to 1981 and was known for her advocacy for women's rights and social justice.
People
Ihsan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ihsan 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
Ihsan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ihsan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 643 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ihsan 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 533,055 US residents.
Is Ihsan a common name?
We classify Ihsan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 652 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ihsan most popular?
The single biggest year for Ihsan was 2023, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ihsan is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ihsan a male name?
Yes, 93.9% of people registered as Ihsan 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.
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.