Reema
A feminine Arabic name meaning "gazelle" or "white antelope".
Name Census estimates that about 1,565 living Americans carry the first name Reema. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Reema today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Reema births was 2018 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Reema. 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 Reema with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 219,012 Americans
Peak year
2018
63 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,311
Tracked since 1965
Census
Reema in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,246 people with the first name Reema, which placed it at #6,956 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
#6,956
National first-name rank
People counted
2.2K
2,246 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
52.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reema
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Reema is Asian/Pacific Islander at 52.8%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Reema 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 Reema at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander52.8% · 1,185
- White38.7% · 870
- Two or more races3.4% · 77
- Black or African American3.3% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Popularity
Reema: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Reema 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 450 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Reema remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Reema 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 Reema during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Reemas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Reema, while Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 43 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Reema
The name Reema has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "raim," which means "white antelope." The name has been used in the Middle East and North Africa for centuries.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Reema dates back to the 7th century, when it was mentioned in an ancient Arabic text. The name gained popularity during the Islamic Golden Age, a period of cultural and scientific flourishing in the Middle East and North Africa.
In Islamic tradition, the name Reema is associated with purity, grace, and beauty, qualities that are often attributed to the white antelope. The name has been used by several notable figures throughout history.
One of the earliest famous individuals with the name Reema was Reema bint Munqidh (1095-1188), a medieval Arab writer and poet from Damascus. She is best known for her memoir, "The Book of Contemplation," which provides valuable insights into the life and culture of the time.
Another notable figure was Reema al-Sayyid (1892-1963), an Egyptian feminist and writer who played a significant role in the women's rights movement in Egypt. She founded several women's organizations and published numerous works advocating for women's education and empowerment.
In the modern era, Reema Lagoo (1958-2017) was a renowned Indian actress who appeared in numerous Bollywood films and television shows. She was widely acclaimed for her portrayal of maternal roles and received several awards for her performances.
Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud (born 1975) is a member of the Saudi royal family and a prominent advocate for women's rights. She has worked to promote education and empowerment for women in Saudi Arabia and has been recognized for her efforts.
Reema Juffali (born 1982) is a Saudi Arabian racing driver and the first woman from the Middle East to compete in international motorsports events. She has been a trailblazer for women in the traditionally male-dominated world of racing.
The name Reema has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in the Arab and Islamic world. It has been borne by notable figures across various fields, from literature and feminism to acting and sports, reflecting the diverse contributions of individuals with this name.
People
Reema + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Reema 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
Reema: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Reema?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,565 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Reema 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 219,012 US residents.
Is Reema a common name?
We classify Reema as "Rare". It ranks above 92.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,607 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Reema most popular?
The single biggest year for Reema was 2018, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Reema is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Reema in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,246 people with the name Reema, or 0.74 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,956 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 Reema 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 Reema?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Reema appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,249 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Reema?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Reema is Asian/Pacific Islander at 52.8%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Reema most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Reema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.8% (1,185 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 Reema in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Reema a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Reema 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 Reema still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Reema 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 Reema 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 Reema as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.