Quaid
Leader, chief, or ruler of Arabic origin.
Name Census estimates that about 881 living Americans carry the first name Quaid. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Quaid today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quaid births was 2008 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quaid. 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.
People living today
881
~ 1 in 389,051 Americans
Peak year
2008
37 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,086
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Quaid: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Quaid from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 274 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Quaid remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Quaid 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 Quaid during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Quaids live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Utah recorded the most babies named Quaid, while Utah, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 23 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Quaid
The name Quaid is derived from the Arabic word "qaid," which means "leader" or "commander." It has its roots in the Middle Eastern and Islamic cultures, dating back to the 7th century AD.
The earliest recorded use of the name Quaid can be traced back to the Umayyad Caliphate, one of the longest-reigning dynasties in Islamic history, which ruled from 661 to 750 AD. During this time, the name was bestowed upon military leaders and commanders who played a pivotal role in the expansion of the Caliphate.
In the 12th century, the name gained further prominence with Quaid Shams al-Din, a renowned Muslim scholar and philosopher from Persia. His teachings and writings on theology, logic, and metaphysics influenced generations of scholars across the Islamic world.
Fast forward to the 19th century, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was born in 1876. His honorific title, "Quaid-e-Azam," means "The Great Leader," reflecting his pivotal role in the formation of the modern nation-state of Pakistan.
Another notable figure bearing the name Quaid was Quaid Johar, an Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement against British rule in the early 20th century.
In the realm of literature, Quaid Syed Qutb al-Din Ahmed, a 16th-century Sufi poet from India, is remembered for his profound and mystical works that explored the divine and human nature.
Quaid Nazrul Islam, born in 1899, was a Bengali poet, writer, and revolutionary who is widely regarded as the national poet of Bangladesh. His powerful and evocative writings were instrumental in shaping the cultural and literary landscape of the region.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Quaid, reflecting its deep-rooted connection to leadership, scholarship, and cultural significance within the Middle Eastern and Islamic traditions.
People
Quaid + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quaid 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
Quaid: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quaid?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 881 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quaid 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 389,051 US residents.
Is Quaid a common name?
We classify Quaid as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 894 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Quaid most popular?
The single biggest year for Quaid was 2008, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quaid is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Quaid a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Quaid 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.