Islam
An Arabic name meaning "submission to the will of God".
Name Census estimates that about 776 living Americans carry the first name Islam. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 83.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Islam today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Islam births was 1999 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Islam. 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
776
~ 1 in 441,694 Americans
Peak year
1999
36 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,474
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Islam
Islam leans heavily male at 83.8% of total registrations, but 128 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Islam as a male name
- Ranked #3,474 in 2024
- 33 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (33 births)
Islam as a female name
- Ranked #17,836 in 2011
- 5 female births in 2011
- Peak: 1999 (13 births)
Popularity
Islam: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Islam from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 248 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Islam remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Islam 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 Islam during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Islams live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, California recorded the most babies named Islam, while Illinois, California, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Islam
The name Islam has its roots in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "salaam," which means peace, submission, and obedience. The name is closely associated with the Islamic religion, which was founded in the 7th century CE in the Arabian Peninsula.
The name Islam first appeared in the holy book of Islam, the Quran, which is considered a sacred text by Muslims around the world. The Quran mentions the word "Islam" numerous times, and it is believed to be the name given to the religion by God.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Islam is found in the Sirat Ibn Hisham, a famous biography of the Prophet Muhammad written in the 8th century CE. The book mentions the name Islam as the religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Islam. One of the most famous was Islam Khan, a Mughal prince who lived in the 16th century CE. He was the son of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and played a significant role in the expansion of the Mughal Empire.
Another notable figure was Islam Shah, the Sultan of Bengal who ruled from 1349 to 1359 CE. He was known for his patronage of art, architecture, and literature, and his reign was marked by prosperity and cultural achievements.
In the 20th century, Islam Karimov was the first President of Uzbekistan, serving from 1991 to 2016. He was a prominent figure in the region and played a significant role in shaping Uzbekistan's post-Soviet identity.
Islam Siddiqui was a renowned Indian freedom fighter and politician who lived from 1892 to 1977. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and participated in the struggle for India's independence from British rule.
Islam Akhun was a Dagestani religious leader and scholar who lived from 1818 to 1888. He played a crucial role in the resistance against Russian colonial expansion in the Caucasus region and was known for his efforts to preserve the cultural and religious traditions of the region.
People
Islam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Islam 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
Islam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Islam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 776 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Islam 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 441,694 US residents.
Is Islam a common name?
We classify Islam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 792 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Islam most popular?
The single biggest year for Islam was 1999, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Islam is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Islam a male name?
Yes, 83.8% of people registered as Islam 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.