Khattab
A masculine Arabic name meaning "orator" or "preacher".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Khattab. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Khattab today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Khattab births was 2015 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Khattab. 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 Khattab with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Khattab. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2015
6 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2015 SSA rank
#11,459
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Khattab: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Khattab 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 Khattab during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Khattab
The name Khattab has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "khattab," which means "orator" or "eloquent speaker." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals who were skilled in public speaking and oratory.
The earliest recorded use of the name Khattab dates back to the 7th century, during the time of the Islamic expansion. One of the most notable historical figures with this name was Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. He ruled from 634 to 644 CE and is revered for his leadership, justice, and contributions to the spread of Islam.
Another prominent figure with the name Khattab was Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a renowned military leader. He played a crucial role in the early Muslim conquests and was known for his bravery and strategic skills.
In the medieval period, Khattab al-Baghdadi was a notable Arab mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 9th century CE. He made significant contributions to the field of algebra and wrote several influential works on mathematics.
During the 12th century, Nur ad-Din Mahmud Zangi, also known as Nur ad-Din Khattab, was a powerful ruler of the Zengid dynasty in Syria and parts of northern Mesopotamia. He was a skilled military commander and played a vital role in the ongoing conflicts between the Muslims and the Crusaders.
In more recent history, Khattab (1969-2002), whose full name was Samir Saleh Abdullah Al-Suwailem, was a Jordanian-born Islamic militant and a prominent figure in the Chechen separatist movement. He was known for his involvement in the Second Chechen War and his influence on the radicalization of Islamic fighters in the region.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Khattab. The name's Arabic origins and its association with eloquence and oratory have made it a popular choice among Arabic-speaking communities for centuries.
People
Khattab + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Khattab 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
Khattab: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Khattab?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Khattab 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Khattab a common name?
We classify Khattab as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Khattab most popular?
The single biggest year for Khattab was 2015, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Khattab is about 12 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 Khattab in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Khattab a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Khattab 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 Khattab still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Khattab 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 Khattab 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 Khattab as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Khattab, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.