Irfan
An Arabic name meaning "knowing" or "wise one".
Name Census estimates that about 652 living Americans carry the first name Irfan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Irfan today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Irfan births was 2023 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Irfan. 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
652
~ 1 in 525,697 Americans
Peak year
2023
26 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,509
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Irfan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Irfan from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 172 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Irfan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Irfan 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 Irfan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Irfans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Virginia recorded the most babies named Irfan, while Virginia, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Irfan
The name Irfan is an Arabic name derived from the word 'irfan' which means knowledge or wisdom. It has its origins in the Middle East and has been used in the Islamic world for centuries.
The name first gained prominence in the 7th century during the Islamic Golden Age, a period of remarkable intellectual and cultural achievements in the Middle East. During this time, the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom was highly valued, and the name Irfan became associated with scholars and intellectuals.
One of the earliest known references to the name Irfan can be found in the works of the renowned Persian poet and philosopher, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207-1273). In his poetry, Rumi often used the term 'irfan' to describe the mystical knowledge and spiritual enlightenment that was central to his teachings.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Irfan. One of the most famous was Irfan Habib (1931-2022), an Indian historian and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of medieval Indian history and the history of science and technology in the Indian subcontinent.
Another prominent figure was Irfan Malik (1924-2021), a Pakistani economist and diplomat who served as the Finance Minister of Pakistan from 1972 to 1973 and played a key role in the country's economic development.
In the realm of literature, Irfan Orga (1908-1970) was a Turkish-born British novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of cultural identity and the clash between Eastern and Western values.
The name Irfan has also been associated with sports. Irfan Pathan (born 1984) is a former Indian cricketer who represented the Indian national team in all three formats of the game and was known for his left-arm swing bowling.
Another notable figure was Irfan Malik (1957-2011), a Pakistani squash player who won the World Open Squash Championship in 1983 and was considered one of the greatest players of his era.
People
Irfan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Irfan 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
Irfan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Irfan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 652 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Irfan 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 525,697 US residents.
Is Irfan a common name?
We classify Irfan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 667 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Irfan most popular?
The single biggest year for Irfan was 2023, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Irfan is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Irfan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Irfan 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.