Nazifa
A feminine Muslim name of Arabic origin meaning "pure" or "immaculate".
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the first name Nazifa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nazifa today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nazifa births was 2008 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nazifa. 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 Nazifa with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
159
~ 1 in 2,155,688 Americans
Peak year
2008
13 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,726
Tracked since 1994
Census
Nazifa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 532 people with the first name Nazifa, which placed it at #19,726 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#19,726
National first-name rank
People counted
532
532 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
73.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nazifa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nazifa is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.1%. The next largest groups are White (12.4%) and Two or More Races (11.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nazifa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nazifa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.1% · 389
- White12.4% · 66
- Two or more races11.5% · 61
- Black or African American1.9% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 2
Popularity
Nazifa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nazifa from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 72 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Nazifa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nazifa 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 Nazifa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nazifas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nazifa
The name Nazifa has its origins in the Persian language, tracing back to the medieval era in regions that are now part of modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. The name itself is derived from the Persian word "naz," meaning charm or elegance, and "ifa," which signifies purity or virtue.
In the rich tapestry of Persian literature, the name Nazifa is found in various poetic works and historical accounts from the 10th to the 14th centuries. Some scholars suggest that it may have been used as a symbolic name, representing the embodiment of grace and purity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nazifa can be found in the writings of the renowned Persian poet and scholar, Ferdowsi, who lived from 940 to 1020 CE. In his epic masterpiece, the Shahnameh, he mentions a character with the name Nazifa, though the details surrounding this individual are scarce.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Nazifa. One such individual was Nazifa Begum (1531-1595), a powerful and influential woman who served as the chief consort of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. Her wisdom and diplomatic skills played a crucial role in shaping the Mughal Empire's affairs during a tumultuous period.
Another remarkable figure was Nazifa Khatun (1582-1646), a Persian princess and the daughter of Shah Abbas I, the ruler of the Safavid dynasty. Known for her intellect and patronage of the arts, she commissioned numerous architectural marvels, including the famous Chehel Sotoun palace in Isfahan.
In the realm of literature, the name Nazifa is associated with the renowned Persian poet and mystic, Nazifa Bint Al-Hasan Al-Amiri (1153-1218). Her poetic works, which explored spiritual themes and the divine essence, earned her widespread acclaim and influenced generations of writers and scholars.
Nazifa Begum (1766-1836), a remarkable woman from the Mughal Empire, left an indelible mark on history as a skilled administrator and patron of the arts. She oversaw the construction of several architectural wonders, including the magnificent Shahi Mosque in Lahore, which stands as a testament to her legacy.
While these are just a few examples, the name Nazifa has been carried by numerous individuals throughout the centuries, each leaving their unique imprint on the tapestry of history, culture, and intellectual pursuits across the Persian-speaking world and beyond.
People
Nazifa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nazifa 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
Nazifa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nazifa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 159 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nazifa 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 2,155,688 US residents.
Is Nazifa a common name?
We classify Nazifa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 161 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nazifa most popular?
The single biggest year for Nazifa was 2008, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nazifa is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nazifa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 532 people with the name Nazifa, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,726 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nazifa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nazifa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nazifa appears almost entirely female. Of the 532 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nazifa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nazifa is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.1%. The next largest groups are White (12.4%) and Two or More Races (11.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nazifa most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nazifa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (389 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Nazifa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nazifa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nazifa 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.
Is Nazifa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nazifa 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 Nazifa 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.
How many people have Nazifa as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Nazifa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.