Nafis
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "precious" or "valuable".
Name Census estimates that about 524 living Americans carry the first name Nafis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nafis today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nafis births was 1992 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nafis. 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
524
~ 1 in 654,111 Americans
Peak year
1992
28 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,720
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Nafis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nafis 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 161 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nafis 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 Nafis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nafis' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nafis
The name Nafis has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "nafis," which means "precious," "valuable," or "rare." The name is believed to have been in use since the early days of Islam, around the 7th century AD.
Nafis was a common name among Arabs during the medieval period, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. It was often given to children as a way of expressing the parents' hope that their child would grow up to be a precious and valuable member of society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nafis can be found in the writings of the famous Arab poet and philosopher Al-Mutanabbi (915-965 AD). In one of his poems, he refers to a person named Nafis, suggesting that the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Nafis. One of the most famous was Nafis bin Iwaz Al-Kirmani (1210-1288 AD), a Persian physician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of anatomy and physiology. He is credited with being one of the first scholars to describe the pulmonary circulation system, which was a major breakthrough in medical knowledge at the time.
Another prominent figure with the name Nafis was Nafis Ahmad (1826-1896), an Indian Muslim writer and social reformer. He was a pioneer in promoting women's education and advocating for the abolition of practices such as child marriage and polygamy.
In the realm of literature, Nafis Sadik (1917-2017) was a renowned Pakistani writer and poet who wrote extensively in both Urdu and English. He was awarded the Pride of Performance, one of Pakistan's highest civilian honors, for his contributions to literature.
Nafis Sadullah (1942-2005) was a prominent Bangladeshi novelist and short story writer. His works often explored the themes of social injustice, poverty, and the struggles of the working class. He received numerous literary awards and accolades during his lifetime.
Another notable bearer of the name was Nafis Ullah Khan (1948-2009), a Pakistani nuclear scientist who played a pivotal role in the country's nuclear program. He was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civilian honor, for his contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
People
Nafis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nafis 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
Nafis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nafis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 524 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nafis 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 654,111 US residents.
Is Nafis a common name?
We classify Nafis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 538 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nafis most popular?
The single biggest year for Nafis was 1992, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nafis is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nafis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nafis 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.