Nihash
An Arabic name meaning light, illumination, or brilliance.
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Nihash. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nihash today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nihash births was 2011 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nihash. 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 Nihash. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
2011
9 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2012 SSA rank
#13,646
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Nihash: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nihash 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 Nihash 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 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nihash
The name Nihash finds its roots in ancient Sumerian culture, originating from the word "ni-hash" which translates to "divine protector" or "guardian of the sacred." This name holds deep reverence in the Mesopotamian region, where it was first documented around 3000 BCE.
One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Nihash-Gal, a high priest of the city of Uruk during the reign of King Gilgamesh. Historical records from cuneiform tablets mention Nihash-Gal's pivotal role in leading religious ceremonies and preserving the spiritual traditions of the Sumerian people.
The name Nihash also appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known literary works in human history. In this epic, a character named Nihash-Bani is described as a wise and revered sage who guides the hero Gilgamesh on his journey of self-discovery.
During the Neo-Babylonian period, around 600 BCE, the name Nihash gained popularity among the ruling elite. Nihash-Kudurri, a prominent nobleman and advisor to King Nebuchadnezzar II, was known for his expertise in legal matters and his role in shaping the laws of the Babylonian Empire.
In the 5th century BCE, a renowned philosopher and mathematician from ancient Greece bore the name Nihash-Agoras. He is credited with contributing to the development of geometry and is believed to have influenced the works of Euclid.
Another notable figure in history with the name Nihash was Nihash-Al-Din, a 12th-century Persian poet and scholar from the city of Nishapur. His poetic works, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human experience, are still studied and celebrated to this day.
Throughout the centuries, the name Nihash has been carried by various individuals across different cultures and regions, each leaving their mark on history through their achievements and contributions to their respective fields, whether in literature, philosophy, religion, or the arts.
People
Nihash + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nihash 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
Nihash: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nihash?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nihash 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Nihash a common name?
We classify Nihash as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nihash most popular?
The single biggest year for Nihash was 2011, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nihash is about 15 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 Nihash in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nihash a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nihash 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 Nihash still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nihash 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 Nihash 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 people are named Nihash?
Want to know how many Americans are named Nihash? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.