Kahiem
Of Arabic origin, a variant spelling meaning "noble" or "learned one".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Kahiem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kahiem today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kahiem births was 1986 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kahiem. 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 Kahiem. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1986
5 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1986 SSA rank
#7,269
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Kahiem: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kahiem 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 Kahiem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kahiem
The name Kahiem is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages dating back to around 3500 BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sumerian words "ka" meaning "to speak" and "hiem" meaning "wise" or "knowledgeable." Thus, Kahiem can be interpreted as "one who speaks wisely."
Kahiem was a relatively uncommon name among the Sumerians, who inhabited the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). However, it gained more prominence during the reign of the Akkadian Empire, which rose to power in the 24th century BCE and adopted many elements of Sumerian culture, including names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kahiem can be found in a cuneiform tablet dating back to the 23rd century BCE, which mentions a scribe named Kahiem who served under the Akkadian king Shar-kali-sharri. This tablet is currently housed in the British Museum.
During the later periods of Mesopotamian history, the name Kahiem was occasionally used by members of the ruling classes and intellectual elite, likely as a reflection of its association with wisdom and eloquence.
In the 9th century BCE, a renowned scholar and astronomer from the city of Uruk, Kahiem ibn Abi-Sikkit, made significant contributions to the development of mathematics and astronomy in the region. His work on calculating the positions of celestial bodies laid the foundation for later advancements in these fields.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kahiem was a Persian poet and philosopher who lived in the 10th century CE. Kahiem al-Farsi was renowned for his insightful poetry and philosophical treatises, which explored themes of spirituality, love, and the human condition.
Fast-forwarding to the 14th century, a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist from the Mamluk Sultanate, Kahiem al-Dimashqi, gained recognition for his influential writings on Islamic jurisprudence and theology.
In the 17th century, a Persian nobleman and diplomat named Kahiem Khan played a crucial role in facilitating diplomatic relations between the Safavid Empire and the Ottoman Empire, contributing to a period of relative peace and stability in the region.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who carried the name Kahiem, demonstrating its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods, often associated with wisdom, scholarship, and leadership.
People
Kahiem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kahiem as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kahiem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kahiem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kahiem 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Kahiem a common name?
We classify Kahiem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kahiem most popular?
The single biggest year for Kahiem was 1986, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kahiem is about 38 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 Kahiem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kahiem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kahiem 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 Kahiem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kahiem 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 Kahiem 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 common is the name Kahiem?
See how many people share the name Kahiem on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.