Rabab
An Arabic feminine name referring to a musical instrument.
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the first name Rabab. It is a predominantly female name (95.0% of registrations). The average person named Rabab today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rabab births was 2024 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rabab. 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 Rabab with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
158
~ 1 in 2,169,331 Americans
Peak year
2024
20 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,810
Tracked since 1982
Census
Rabab in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 674 people with the first name Rabab, which placed it at #16,648 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#16,648
National first-name rank
People counted
674
674 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
64.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rabab
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rabab is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (22.8%) and Black (6.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Rabab described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Rabab at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.7% · 436
- Asian and Pacific Islander22.8% · 154
- Black or African American6.7% · 45
- Two or more races4.9% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Rabab
Rabab leans heavily female at 95.0% of total registrations, but 8 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Rabab as a male name
- Ranked #9,635 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (8 births)
Rabab as a female name
- Ranked #8,810 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (13 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rabab leans strongly female. 660 people counted with this name were female (97.6%), compared with 16 male bearers (2.4%).
Popularity
Rabab: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rabab from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 50 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rabab 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 Rabab during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rababs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rabab
The name Rabab has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "rababa," which refers to a stringed instrument similar to a lute or a rebec. The word "rababa" itself is believed to have come from the Aramaic word "rabbath," meaning "to speak or chant."
In Arabic culture, the rabab was an important musical instrument used in various forms of traditional music and poetry recitation. As such, the name Rabab may have been given to girls in hopes that they would possess the grace and beauty associated with music and poetry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rabab can be found in the work of the renowned Arab poet and philosopher Al-Mutanabbi, who lived in the 10th century CE. In his poem "Al-Rabab," he personifies the musical instrument as a beloved companion, suggesting that the name was already in use during that time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Rabab. One of the most famous was Rabab Adawiya (1244-1321 CE), a renowned Sufi saint and mystic from Baghdad. She was known for her profound spiritual teachings and her devotion to the Sufi way of life.
Another notable figure was Rabab Husayn (1914-2016), an Egyptian feminist and activist who played a significant role in the women's rights movement in her country. She was also a prolific writer and scholar, authoring several books on women's issues and Islamic feminism.
In the realm of literature, Rabab Naji (1920-2008) was a renowned Palestinian writer and poet. Her works often explored themes of exile, displacement, and the struggle for Palestinian independence. She is considered one of the most influential voices in modern Arabic literature.
The name Rabab has also been carried by notable figures in the field of music. Rabab Hashim (1919-2005) was a celebrated Egyptian singer and actress, known for her contributions to the Golden Age of Egyptian cinema and music.
Lastly, Rabab Fatima (1958-2014) was a prominent Bangladeshi diplomat and human rights activist. She served as Bangladesh's ambassador to several countries and was actively involved in promoting women's rights and empowerment.
People
Rabab + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rabab as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rabab: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rabab?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 158 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rabab 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 2,169,331 US residents.
Is Rabab a common name?
We classify Rabab as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 161 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rabab most popular?
The single biggest year for Rabab was 2024, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rabab is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rabab in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 674 people with the name Rabab, or 0.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,648 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Rabab in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Rabab?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rabab leans strongly female. 660 people counted with this name were female (97.6%), compared with 16 male bearers (2.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Rabab?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rabab is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (22.8%) and Black (6.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Rabab most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Rabab in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.7% (436 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Rabab in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rabab a female name?
Yes, 95.0% of people registered as Rabab in the SSA data are female. 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 Rabab still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rabab 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 Rabab 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.
How many people are named Rabab?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.