Naqi
An Arabic masculine given name meaning "pure" or "unblemished".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Naqi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Naqi today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Naqi births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Naqi. 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 Naqi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2017
5 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,652
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Naqi: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Naqi 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 Naqi 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Naqi
The name Naqi is of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "naqiya" which means "pure" or "immaculate" in Arabic. It is believed to have been first used in the 7th century AD, during the early days of Islam.
The name Naqi gained significant religious and historical significance within the Islamic tradition, particularly in Shia Islam. It was one of the titles bestowed upon the tenth Imam, Ali al-Naqi, who was born in 828 AD in Medina and died in 868 AD in Samarra, Iraq. He was revered for his piety, wisdom, and knowledge.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Naqi can be found in the works of prominent Islamic scholars and historians who documented the lives of the Shia Imams. These records date back to the 9th and 10th centuries AD.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Naqi, including:
1. Ali al-Naqi (828-868 AD), the tenth Imam in Shia Islam, revered for his knowledge and piety.
2. Naqi Khan (1670-1719), an influential Afghan military leader and governor during the Hotaki dynasty.
3. Naqi Ali Khan (1828-1891), a renowned poet and writer from the Indian subcontinent, known for his contributions to Urdu literature.
4. Naqi Sarraf (1897-1975), an Iranian scholar and poet who played a significant role in the literary and cultural renaissance of Iran during the 20th century.
5. Naqi Husain Mirza (1857-1929), a prominent poet and writer from the Indian subcontinent, renowned for his contributions to Urdu and Persian literature.
While the name Naqi has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic tradition, it has also been adopted and used in various cultures and regions influenced by Islam, including parts of the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.
People
Naqi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Naqi 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
Naqi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Naqi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Naqi 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Naqi a common name?
We classify Naqi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Naqi most popular?
The single biggest year for Naqi was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Naqi is about 9 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 Naqi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Naqi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Naqi 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 Naqi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Naqi 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 Naqi 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 Americans are named Naqi?
See how many people share the name Naqi on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.