Khayyam
An Arabic name meaning "tent maker" or "tent repairer".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Khayyam. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Khayyam today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Khayyam births was 1985 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Khayyam. 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 Khayyam with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Khayyam. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1985
5 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1988 SSA rank
#7,949
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Khayyam: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Khayyam 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 Khayyam 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 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Khayyam
The name Khayyam has its origins in the Persian language and culture, tracing back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Persian word "khayy??m," meaning "tent-maker" or "one who makes tents." This connection to the nomadic lifestyle and the craft of tent-making gives the name a rich historical context.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Khayyam was the renowned Persian mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and poet, Omar Khayyam. Born in 1048 in Nishapur, Persia (present-day Iran), he is best known for his scientific contributions and his collection of quatrains known as the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
The name Khayyam also appears in ancient Persian literature, such as the Shahnameh, the epic poem written by the celebrated poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. This work is considered a literary masterpiece and has played a significant role in preserving and promoting Persian culture and language.
Another notable figure associated with the name Khayyam is Ghiyath al-Din al-Khayyam, a Persian philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 11th century. He made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and geometry, and his works influenced the development of mathematics in the Islamic world.
In the realm of literature, Khayyam was the pen name of the 19th-century Indian poet and scholar, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. Known for his profound and intricate Urdu poetry, Ghalib was born in 1797 in Agra, India, and was a prominent figure in the Mughal court.
The name Khayyam has also been carried by several other individuals throughout history, including Khayyam Navorski, a 20th-century American artist and sculptor known for his abstract works, and Khayyam Sundaram, an Indian cricketer who played for the Madras cricket team in the 1940s.
By exploring the origins, historical references, and notable bearers of the name Khayyam, one can gain a deeper appreciation for its rich cultural heritage and the diverse individuals who have carried this name throughout the centuries.
People
Khayyam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Khayyam 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
Khayyam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Khayyam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Khayyam 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Khayyam a common name?
We classify Khayyam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Khayyam most popular?
The single biggest year for Khayyam was 1985, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Khayyam 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 Khayyam in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Khayyam a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Khayyam 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 Khayyam still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Khayyam 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 Khayyam 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 Khayyam?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.