Qasim
A masculine Arabic name meaning "wealth distributor" or "divider."
Name Census estimates that about 1,161 living Americans carry the first name Qasim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Qasim today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Qasim births was 2024 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Qasim. 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
- • Qasim is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 18 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 295,223 Americans
Peak year
2024
56 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,458
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Qasim: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Qasim from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 373 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Qasim remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Qasim 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 Qasim during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Qasims live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. New York, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Qasim, while Virginia, Minnesota, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Qasim
The name Qasim is an Arabic masculine name that has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture. It is derived from the Arabic verb "qasama," which means "to divide" or "to distribute." The name is believed to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula during the early days of Islam.
In Islamic history, Qasim is a name associated with the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. He was born in Medina in the year 668 CE and was the son of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Umm Kulthum, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr is revered as a prominent figure in early Islamic history and is considered one of the most influential scholars of his time.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Qasim can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quran, the word "qasim" is used to refer to a person who distributes or divides something fairly. This association with justice and fairness may have influenced the popularity of the name among Muslims.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Qasim. For example, Qasim ibn Muhammad (699-738 CE) was an Arab military leader and the governor of Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain and Portugal) during the Umayyad Caliphate. He played a crucial role in the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Another prominent figure was Qasim al-Nuri (1834-1880 CE), an Ottoman Kurdish leader who led the Kurdish rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. He was instrumental in raising awareness about Kurdish nationalism and advocating for Kurdish rights.
In the field of science, Qasim al-Zahrawi (936-1013 CE), also known as Abulcasis, was an Andalusian Muslim surgeon and polymath. He made significant contributions to the field of medicine and is considered one of the greatest medieval surgeons.
Qasim Amin (1863-1908 CE) was an Egyptian writer, lawyer, and Islamic reformer who advocated for women's rights and education in the early 20th century. His works played a crucial role in shaping the discourse on gender equality and social reform in the Arab world.
Lastly, Qasim Suri (1292-1384 CE) was a renowned Persian poet and mystic who lived during the Timurid era. His works, notably the "Qasidas," are considered among the finest examples of Persian literature and have had a lasting influence on the poetic tradition of the region.
People
Qasim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Qasim as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Q
Other first names starting with Q with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Qasim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Qasim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,161 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Qasim 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 295,223 US residents.
Is Qasim a common name?
We classify Qasim as "Rare". It ranks above 91% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,179 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Qasim most popular?
The single biggest year for Qasim was 2024, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Qasim is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Qasim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Qasim 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.