Karima
A feminine Arabic name meaning "generous" or "noble".
Name Census estimates that about 1,389 living Americans carry the first name Karima. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Karima today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karima births was 1979 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karima. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 246,763 Americans
Peak year
1979
63 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,857
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Karima: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karima from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 389 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karima 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 Karima during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karimas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Karima, while Georgia, California, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 97 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Karima
The name Karima has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "karim," which means "generous" or "noble." It is a feminine name that has been in use since ancient times in the Middle Eastern and North African regions.
Karima has been a popular name among Muslims, as it reflects the Islamic values of generosity and nobility. The name has also been associated with the Arabic word "karam," which means "honor" or "dignity."
In Islamic literature, the name Karima is mentioned in several ancient texts and religious scriptures. One notable reference is in the Quran, where the word "karim" is used to describe the Prophet Muhammad and other revered figures.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Karima can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Islamic Golden Age. Several historical figures bore this name, including Karima al-Marwaziyya, a renowned female scholar and poet who lived in the 9th century CE.
Other notable women throughout history who were named Karima include:
1. Karima al-Hadrami (1088-1174 CE), a Yemeni poet and mystic.
2. Karima Merrill (1869-1941), an American philanthropist and art collector.
3. Karima Bennoune (born 1966), an Algerian-American scholar and human rights activist.
4. Karima El-Mahroug (born 1992), an Italian-Moroccan woman involved in a high-profile legal case in Italy.
5. Karima Christmas (born 1994), an American professional basketball player.
While the name Karima has its roots in the Arab world, it has gained popularity across various cultures and ethnicities over time, reflecting its positive connotations of generosity and nobility.
People
Karima + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karima 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
Karima: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karima?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,389 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karima 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 246,763 US residents.
Is Karima a common name?
We classify Karima as "Rare". It ranks above 92% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,460 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karima most popular?
The single biggest year for Karima was 1979, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karima is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Karima a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karima in the SSA data are female. 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.