Jamaa
An Arabic name meaning community or group.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Jamaa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jamaa today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamaa births was 1980 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamaa. 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 Jamaa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1980
8 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2000 SSA rank
#11,110
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Jamaa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamaa from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 8 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Jamaa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jamaa 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 Jamaa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jamaa
The name Jamaa originates from the Arabic language and has its roots in the word "jam'a," which means "to gather" or "to unite." This name has been in use for centuries, particularly in the Arab world and regions influenced by Islamic culture.
In Islamic literature, the word "jamaa" is often associated with the concept of unity and community. It is mentioned in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as well as in various hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). The name may have been given to individuals with the hope of promoting unity and togetherness within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jamaa can be found in the writings of Ibn Khallikan, a 13th-century Arab scholar and biographer. He mentions a scholar named Jamaa al-Din al-Qurashi, who lived in the 12th century and was known for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Jamaa. One such individual was Jamaa al-Banna, an Egyptian poet and writer who lived in the 9th century. His works celebrated the beauty of Arabic language and literature, and he is considered one of the pioneers of the literary movement known as the "Abbasid Renaissance."
Another prominent figure was Jamaa al-Din al-Afghani, an Islamic philosopher and political activist who lived in the 19th century. He was a leading figure in the Pan-Islamic movement and played a significant role in promoting reform and modernization within the Islamic world.
In the realm of Islamic scholarship, one cannot overlook Jamaa al-Din al-Qasimi, a renowned Syrian scholar and theologian who lived in the 14th century. He made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and is widely respected for his extensive works on Islamic law and theology.
Moving to more recent times, one notable figure was Jamaa Musa, a Sudanese writer and activist who lived from 1931 to 2004. He was a vocal advocate for human rights and democracy in Sudan and played a crucial role in the country's struggle for independence.
It is worth mentioning that the name Jamaa has also been used in various African cultures, particularly in regions influenced by Arabic and Islamic traditions. In some contexts, it may have evolved to take on slightly different meanings or spellings, reflecting the rich diversity of cultural influences across the continent.
People
Jamaa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamaa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jamaa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamaa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamaa 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Jamaa a common name?
We classify Jamaa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamaa most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamaa was 1980, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamaa is about 40 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 Jamaa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jamaa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jamaa 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 Jamaa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jamaa 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 Jamaa 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 have the name Jamaa?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.