Rawi
A name of Arabic origin meaning "narrator" or "storyteller".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Rawi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rawi today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rawi births was 2022 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rawi. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rawi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2022
6 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,986
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Rawi: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rawi 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 Rawi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rawi
The name Rawi has its roots in the Arabic language, where it is derived from the word "rawa," meaning "to narrate" or "to recount." This name holds a rich cultural significance in the Middle Eastern region, particularly in the Arab world.
Rawi was a popular name during the golden age of Islamic civilization, which flourished from the 8th to the 13th century. It was often given to scholars, poets, and storytellers who played a pivotal role in preserving and transmitting knowledge through oral traditions.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Rawi can be found in the works of renowned historians and scholars from that era. Al-Rawi, a prominent historian from the 10th century, authored several books on the history of Islamic dynasties and the lives of influential figures.
In religious texts, the name Rawi is mentioned in connection with individuals who were known for their expertise in narrating and interpreting the hadiths, the recorded sayings and traditions of Prophet Muhammad.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Rawi. One such figure was Rawi al-Damiri (1349-1405), a renowned Arab naturalist and writer who authored a comprehensive encyclopedia on animals and their symbolism in Islamic culture.
Another famous bearer of the name was Rawi al-Baghdadi (1002-1071), a celebrated poet and scholar from Baghdad. His poetic works were widely celebrated for their vivid imagery and profound insights into human nature.
In the field of Islamic jurisprudence, Rawi al-Misri (1171-1242) was a prominent scholar who made significant contributions to the interpretation of Sharia law.
Rawi al-Khalidi (1913-1989) was a influential Palestinian historian and intellectual who played a crucial role in documenting the history and culture of Palestine.
Rawi Hage (born 1964) is a contemporary Canadian novelist and visual artist of Lebanese origin, renowned for his works that explore themes of migration, displacement, and cultural identity.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Rawi throughout history, each making their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage.
People
Rawi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rawi 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
Rawi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rawi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rawi 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 Rawi a common name?
We classify Rawi 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 Rawi most popular?
The single biggest year for Rawi was 2022, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rawi is about 4 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 Rawi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rawi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rawi 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 Rawi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rawi 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 Rawi 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 Rawi?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Rawi, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.