Khaleem
A masculine Arabic name meaning "gentle, forbearing, or calm".
Name Census estimates that about 84 living Americans carry the first name Khaleem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Khaleem today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Khaleem births was 2003 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Khaleem. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Khaleem with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Khaleem. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
84
~ 1 in 4,080,409 Americans
Peak year
2003
11 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,586
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Khaleem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Khaleem from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 35 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Khaleem remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Khaleem 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 Khaleem 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 Khaleem
The given name Khaleem has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the early Islamic period. The name is derived from the Arabic root word "khalim," which means "friend" or "companion." This linguistic connection suggests that the name carries a connotation of friendship, camaraderie, and loyalty.
During the 7th century, when Islam was emerging as a major religion, the name Khaleem gained popularity among the Arab population. It is believed to have been used as a name for those who were considered close friends or companions of the Prophet Muhammad or other prominent figures of that time. The name's association with friendship and companionship made it a fitting choice for individuals who embodied these qualities.
Historically, the name Khaleem has been mentioned in various Islamic texts and records, although specific references are scarce. Some scholars suggest that it may have been mentioned in early Islamic literature, such as the hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) or biographical accounts of the Prophet's companions. However, concrete evidence of these mentions is limited.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Khaleem was Khaleem ibn Walid, a prominent Arab poet and scholar who lived in the 8th century CE. He was renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and his mastery of the Arabic language. Another notable figure was Khaleem ibn Ishaq, a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from the 9th century CE, who made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence.
In the 12th century, Khaleem al-Baghdadi, a renowned Islamic philosopher and theologian, gained recognition for his works on metaphysics and the reconciliation of Islamic teachings with Greek philosophy. His writings had a lasting impact on the intellectual discourse of the time.
During the 14th century, Khaleem al-Dimashqi, a renowned Syrian historian and geographer, wrote extensively about the history and geography of the Islamic world. His works, such as "Nukhbat al-Dahr fi 'Aja'ib al-Barr wa al-Bahr" (The Cream of the Age Concerning the Marvels of the Land and Sea), provided valuable insights into the cultural and intellectual landscape of the era.
Another notable figure was Khaleem ibn Abi Bakr al-Qurashi, a 16th-century Ottoman scholar and jurist known for his contributions to Islamic law and jurisprudence. His works were widely studied and respected within the Ottoman Empire and beyond.
These are just a few examples of individuals who carried the name Khaleem throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields, including literature, scholarship, philosophy, and law. The name's connection to friendship and companionship has endured over the centuries, making it a meaningful choice for parents seeking a name with deep cultural and historical significance.
People
Khaleem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Khaleem 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
Khaleem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Khaleem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 84 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Khaleem 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 4,080,409 US residents.
Is Khaleem a common name?
We classify Khaleem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 85 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Khaleem most popular?
The single biggest year for Khaleem was 2003, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Khaleem is about 17 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 Khaleem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Khaleem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Khaleem 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 Khaleem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Khaleem 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 Khaleem 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 Khaleem as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Khaleem, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.