Rayhan
A name of Arabic origin meaning "fragrant" or "sweet basil".
Name Census estimates that about 891 living Americans carry the first name Rayhan. It is a predominantly male name (92.5% of registrations). The average person named Rayhan today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rayhan births was 2011 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rayhan. 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
891
~ 1 in 384,685 Americans
Peak year
2011
59 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,034
Tracked since 1995
Gender
Gender distribution for Rayhan
Rayhan leans heavily male at 92.5% of total registrations, but 67 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Rayhan as a male name
- Ranked #4,034 in 2024
- 27 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (59 births)
Rayhan as a female name
- Ranked #13,116 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (15 births)
Popularity
Rayhan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rayhan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 372 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rayhan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rayhan 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 Rayhan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rayhans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Rayhan, while Illinois, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 47 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rayhan
The name Rayhan is of Arabic origin and is derived from the word "rayhan," which means "basil" or "sweet basil" in Arabic. The name is believed to have originated in the Middle East and parts of North Africa during the early Islamic period.
The name Rayhan has strong cultural and religious ties in the Arabic-speaking world. It is mentioned in several Islamic texts and scriptures, including the Quran, where it is described as one of the fragrances of Paradise. The name is also associated with the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Al-Hasan ibn Ali, whose epithet was "Rayhan Al-Khuld," meaning "the sweet basil of eternity."
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Rayhan can be found in the writings of the famous Arab poet and philosopher, Al-Mutanabbi (915-965 CE). He used the name in his poems, praising the fragrance and beauty of the basil plant.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Rayhan. One of the most famous was Rayhan al-Baghdadi (917-1029 CE), a renowned Arabic philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer from Baghdad. He made significant contributions to the fields of optics, mechanics, and astronomy.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rayhan al-Sufi (903-986 CE), an influential Persian astronomer and writer. He is best known for his work on the constellations and stars, which included detailed descriptions and illustrations.
In the 12th century, Rayhan al-Andalusi (1121-1185 CE) was a prominent Andalusian Muslim philosopher and scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and physics.
During the 13th century, Rayhan al-Khwarizmi (1170-1250 CE) was a renowned Persian mathematician and astronomer who made important contributions to the development of algebra and the study of celestial bodies.
In more recent times, Rayhan Bouguerra (born 1986) is an Algerian professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for MC Alger in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1.
People
Rayhan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rayhan 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
Rayhan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rayhan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 891 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rayhan 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 384,685 US residents.
Is Rayhan a common name?
We classify Rayhan 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, 899 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rayhan most popular?
The single biggest year for Rayhan was 2011, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rayhan is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rayhan a male name?
Yes, 92.5% of people registered as Rayhan 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.