Rayhaan
A masculine Arabic name meaning "fragrance" or "sweet basil".
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the first name Rayhaan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rayhaan today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rayhaan births was 2007 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rayhaan. 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 Rayhaan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
112
~ 1 in 3,060,307 Americans
Peak year
2007
12 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,741
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Rayhaan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rayhaan 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 66 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rayhaan 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 Rayhaan 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 Rayhaan
The name Rayhaan is of Arabic origin and is derived from the Arabic word "rayhan," which means "sweet basil." The name has been in use since ancient times in the Middle East and North Africa, where the sweet basil plant is native and has been cultivated for centuries.
Rayhaan is a unisex name, meaning it can be used for both boys and girls. In Arabic culture, the sweet basil plant is associated with good luck, prosperity, and purity, which may explain why the name was chosen for children.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Rayhaan can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quran, the word "rayhan" is used to describe the fragrant plants and trees that will be found in Paradise.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Rayhaan. One of the earliest was Rayhaan al-Bahili, an Arab poet who lived in the 7th century CE. He was known for his elegant verses and was considered one of the greatest poets of his time.
Another famous Rayhaan was Rayhaan al-Tawhidi, a 10th-century Islamic philosopher and theologian from Iraq. He was a prolific writer and is credited with contributing to the development of Islamic philosophy and theology.
In the 12th century, Rayhaan al-Mawsili was a renowned musician and composer from Baghdad. He was known for his mastery of the oud, a traditional Middle Eastern lute, and his compositions were highly influential in the development of Arabic music.
Rayhaan al-Dayrani was a 13th-century Sufi poet and mystic from Syria. His poems, which often dealt with themes of love and spiritual enlightenment, were widely popular and are still studied today.
In more recent times, Rayhaan Mukhtar was a 20th-century Pakistani physicist and academic. He made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics and served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1960 to 1972.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Rayhaan. The name has endured for centuries, carrying with it the rich cultural and historical significance of its Arabic origins and the sweet fragrance of the basil plant from which it was derived.
People
Rayhaan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rayhaan 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
Rayhaan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rayhaan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 112 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rayhaan 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 3,060,307 US residents.
Is Rayhaan a common name?
We classify Rayhaan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rayhaan most popular?
The single biggest year for Rayhaan was 2007, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rayhaan is about 12 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 Rayhaan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rayhaan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rayhaan 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 Rayhaan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rayhaan 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 Rayhaan 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 common is the name Rayhaan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.