Qays
An Arabic masculine name derived from the root word "qaysa" meaning flourishing or prosperous.
Name Census estimates that about 41 living Americans carry the first name Qays. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Qays today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Qays births was 2008 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Qays. 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 Qays with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Qays. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
41
~ 1 in 8,359,862 Americans
Peak year
2008
7 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2021 SSA rank
#11,787
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Qays: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Qays from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 18 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Qays remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Qays 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 Qays during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Qays
The given name Qays has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots dating back to pre-Islamic Arabia. The name is derived from the Arabic word "qays," which means a type of bow used for hunting or warfare. This association with archery and weaponry suggests a history of strength and valor.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Qays can be found in ancient Arabic poetry and literature, where it was often used as a masculine name. In particular, the name appears in the famous pre-Islamic Arabic love story of Qays and Layla, which tells the tragic tale of a young man named Qays who was driven mad by his unrequited love for a woman named Layla.
Throughout Islamic history, the name Qays has been borne by several notable figures. One of the most famous was Qays ibn al-Mulawwah (570-688 CE), a renowned Arab poet and warrior who lived during the Umayyad Caliphate. Another notable bearer of the name was Qays ibn Sa'd (603-682 CE), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a revered military leader during the early Islamic conquests.
During the medieval period, the name Qays was also associated with various Sufi mystics and philosophers. One such figure was Qays al-Razi (865-925 CE), a renowned Persian mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and geometry.
In more recent history, the name Qays has been carried by several prominent figures from the Arab world. One example is Qays al-Khazali (born 1974), an Iraqi Shia cleric and political leader who played a significant role in the Iraqi insurgency against the United States occupation in the early 2000s.
Another notable bearer of the name was Qays Akram Omar (1961-2022), a prominent Yemeni academic and human rights activist who advocated for democracy and social justice in his country. He was tragically assassinated in 2022, sparking widespread condemnation and protests.
While the name Qays has deep historical roots and associations with strength, valor, and intellectual pursuits, it has maintained its enduring popularity across the Arab world, serving as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the region.
People
Qays + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Qays 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
Qays: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Qays?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 41 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Qays 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 8,359,862 US residents.
Is Qays a common name?
We classify Qays as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Qays most popular?
The single biggest year for Qays was 2008, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Qays is about 14 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 Qays in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Qays a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Qays 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 Qays still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Qays 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 Qays 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 have the name Qays?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.