Nabeel
Noble, distinguished person; alternatively interpreted as a sublime spring.
Name Census estimates that about 1,133 living Americans carry the first name Nabeel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nabeel today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nabeel births was 1999 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nabeel. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 302,519 Americans
Peak year
1999
45 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,272
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Nabeel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nabeel from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 314 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Nabeel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nabeel 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 Nabeel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nabeels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Nabeel, while New Jersey, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 46 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nabeel
The name Nabeel has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "nabala," which means "to be noble" or "to be of high lineage." The name first appeared during the early Islamic period, around the 7th century AD.
In Arabic, the name Nabeel is considered a masculine name and is often associated with qualities such as nobility, honor, and dignity. It has been a popular name among Arab communities for centuries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nabeel can be found in the writings of Arab scholars and poets from the 8th and 9th centuries. It is mentioned in historical records and literature from that time period, indicating its widespread use among the Arab nobility.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Nabeel. One of the most famous was Nabeel al-Qurtubi (1007-1072 AD), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Cordoba, Spain. He made significant contributions to the study of Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) and Islamic jurisprudence.
Another notable figure was Nabeel ibn al-Muqaffa (720-785 AD), a Persian writer and translator who played a crucial role in the spread of Persian literature and culture in the Arabic-speaking world. He is best known for his translation of the Persian book "Kalila wa Dimna" into Arabic, which became a beloved work of literature in the Islamic world.
In the realm of science, Nabeel al-Kindi (801-873 AD) was a prominent Arab philosopher, mathematician, and scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of optics, physics, and mathematics. He is often regarded as one of the pioneers of the scientific method in the Islamic world.
Nabeel al-Jaafi (1142-1225 AD) was a renowned Arab poet and literary scholar from Yemen. He is known for his mastery of Arabic poetry and his works, which have been widely studied and celebrated in the Arab world.
Nabeel al-Arabi (1165-1240 AD), also known as Ibn Arabi, was a highly influential Sufi mystic and philosopher from Spain. His writings on Sufism and mystical experiences have had a lasting impact on Islamic spiritual traditions.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Nabeel, reflecting its longstanding cultural significance and the diverse contributions made by those who carried this name.
People
Nabeel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nabeel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nabeel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nabeel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,133 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nabeel 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 302,519 US residents.
Is Nabeel a common name?
We classify Nabeel as "Rare". It ranks above 90.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,156 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nabeel most popular?
The single biggest year for Nabeel was 1999, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nabeel is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nabeel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nabeel 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.
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.