Qassim
An Arabic name meaning "one who distributes" or "distributor".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Qassim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Qassim today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Qassim births was 2017 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Qassim. 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 Qassim with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Qassim. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2017
6 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#11,854
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Qassim: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Qassim 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 Qassim 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 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Qassim
The name Qassim has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the root word "qasama," which means "to divide" or "to distribute." This name is believed to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula during the early Islamic era, around the 7th century CE.
The name Qassim has a strong connection to Islam and the Islamic culture. It is mentioned in the Quran, the sacred text of Islam, and is associated with the concept of justice and fairness. The name was particularly popular among the early Muslim communities and is still widely used in various Arabic-speaking regions today.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Qassim can be found in the historical accounts of the early Islamic conquests. Qassim ibn Muhammad, a renowned military commander and companion of the Prophet Muhammad, played a significant role in the spread of Islam in the 7th century CE. His bravery and leadership skills were highly regarded, and he is considered one of the most prominent figures in early Islamic history.
Throughout the centuries, the name Qassim has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the most famous was Qassim al-Nuri, a 19th-century Iraqi scholar and reformist who played a crucial role in the intellectual and educational renaissance of the Ottoman Empire. He was born in 1836 and worked tirelessly to promote education and modernization in the region.
Another prominent figure was Qassim Amin, an Egyptian writer and feminist who lived from 1863 to 1908. He was a pioneer in advocating for women's rights and gender equality in the Arab world, and his works had a significant impact on the social and cultural landscape of the region.
In more recent times, Qassim Soleimani, an Iranian military commander and head of the Quds Force, gained notoriety for his role in various conflicts in the Middle East. He was born in 1957 and was assassinated in 2020, an event that heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.
Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was another notable figure who carried this name. He was born in 1975 and was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, dealing a significant blow to the terrorist organization's operations in Yemen and the surrounding region.
While these are just a few examples, the name Qassim has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their own unique mark on the cultural, political, and intellectual landscapes of their respective eras and regions.
People
Qassim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Qassim 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
Qassim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Qassim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Qassim 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Qassim a common name?
We classify Qassim as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Qassim most popular?
The single biggest year for Qassim was 2017, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Qassim 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 Qassim in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Qassim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Qassim 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 Qassim still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Qassim 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 Qassim 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 called Qassim?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.