Reem
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "beautiful gazelle".
Name Census estimates that about 3,398 living Americans carry the first name Reem. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Reem today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Reem births was 2024 (176 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Reem. 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 Reem with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.4K
~ 1 in 100,869 Americans
Peak year
2024
176 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,305
Tracked since 1969
Census
Reem in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,806 people with the first name Reem, which placed it at #4,033 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
#4,033
National first-name rank
People counted
4.8K
4,806 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
83.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reem
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Reem is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Reem 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 Reem at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 4,010
- Black or African American7.3% · 351
- Two or more races5.4% · 258
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Popularity
Reem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Reem from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,036 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Reem remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Reem 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 Reem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Reems live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. Michigan, California, New York recorded the most babies named Reem, while South Carolina, Arizona, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 121 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Reem
The name Reem has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the Middle Ages and the era of Islamic civilization. It is derived from the Arabic word "reem," which means "gazelle" or "deer," reflecting the grace and elegance associated with these animals in the region.
The name Reem holds significant historical references within the Islamic tradition. It is mentioned in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as a symbol of beauty and purity. In Surah Al-Muddaththir (74:19), the word "reem" is used to describe a serene and tranquil setting, likening it to the calm demeanor of a gazelle.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Reem can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab poet and philosopher, Abu al-Ala al-Maari (973-1057 CE). He used the name metaphorically to describe the beauty and grace of a beloved. This poetic usage contributed to the popularity of the name among the Arabic-speaking world during the medieval period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Reem. One of the most prominent was Reem bint al-Walid (570-640 CE), a renowned Arab poet and warrior from the early years of Islam. She was known for her bravery and skill in battle, as well as her eloquent poetry.
Another famous figure was Reem al-Samerai (1905-1989), an Iraqi artist and pioneer in the field of modern Arabic calligraphy. Her innovative approach to this traditional art form earned her international acclaim and recognition.
In the realm of literature, Reem Al-Rashed (1968-present) is a prominent Saudi Arabian author and journalist. Her works often explore themes of women's rights and societal issues within the context of the Arab world.
The name Reem has also been associated with figures in the world of sports. Reem Abullail (1979-present) is a renowned Egyptian squash player who has won numerous international tournaments and championships.
While the name Reem has its roots in the Arabic language, it has transcended cultural boundaries and gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Arab or Islamic influence.
People
Reem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Reem 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
Reem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Reem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,398 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Reem 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 100,869 US residents.
Is Reem a common name?
We classify Reem as "Rare". It ranks above 95.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,469 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Reem most popular?
The single biggest year for Reem was 2024, when 176 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Reem 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 Reem in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,806 people with the name Reem, or 1.59 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,033 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 Reem 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 Reem?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Reem leans strongly female. 4,732 people counted with this name were female (98.6%), compared with 66 male bearers (1.4%). 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 Reem?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Reem is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Reem most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Reem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (4,010 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 Reem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Reem a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Reem 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 Reem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Reem 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 Reem 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 have the name Reem?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Reem, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.