Najuma
An Arabic feminine name meaning "star" or "beautiful star".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Najuma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Najuma today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Najuma births was 1972 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Najuma. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Najuma. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1972
7 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1976 SSA rank
#10,331
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Najuma: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Najuma 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 Najuma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 12 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Najuma
Najuma is a feminine given name with roots that can be traced back to the Arabic language. The name is derived from the word "najm," which means "star" in Arabic. It is believed to have originated in the Middle East and North Africa region during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded use of the name Najuma dates back to the 9th century, when it was mentioned in several Arabic literary works and historical records. One notable mention is in the famous anthology of Arabic poetry, "Kitab al-Aghani," compiled by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani in the 10th century.
In the 12th century, a famous female poet and scholar from Andalusia, Spain, was known as Najuma bint al-Hafiz. She was renowned for her contributions to Arabic literature and poetry during the golden age of Islamic civilization in the Iberian Peninsula.
Another historical figure who bore the name Najuma was a 14th-century Muslim princess from the Marinid dynasty of Morocco. She was renowned for her beauty, intelligence, and patronage of the arts and sciences.
In the 16th century, Najuma al-Misriya was a celebrated Egyptian dancer and singer who performed in the courts of the Mamluk sultans in Cairo. Her performances were widely acclaimed, and she was considered one of the most talented artists of her time.
During the 19th century, Najuma Bint Mohammad al-Khalili was a renowned Omani poet and scholar who played a significant role in preserving and promoting the literary traditions of the Arabian Peninsula.
While the name Najuma has its roots in the Arabic language, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and regions over the centuries, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of South Asia.
People
Najuma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Najuma 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
Najuma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Najuma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Najuma 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 Najuma a common name?
We classify Najuma 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, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Najuma most popular?
The single biggest year for Najuma was 1972, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Najuma is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Najuma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Najuma in the SSA data are female. 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.