Rihan
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "basil plant".
Name Census estimates that about 387 living Americans carry the first name Rihan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 81.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Rihan today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rihan births was 2016 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rihan. 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 Rihan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
387
~ 1 in 885,670 Americans
Peak year
2016
44 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,996
Tracked since 2005
Gender
Gender distribution for Rihan
Rihan leans heavily male at 81.5% of total registrations, but 72 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Rihan as a male name
- Ranked #4,996 in 2024
- 20 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (37 births)
Rihan as a female name
- Ranked #13,143 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (8 births)
Popularity
Rihan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rihan 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 197 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rihan 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 Rihan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rihans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New Jersey, New York, California recorded the most babies named Rihan, while Pennsylvania, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rihan
The name Rihan originates from the Arabic language and has its roots in the Middle Eastern and North African regions. It is derived from the Arabic word "rihan," which means "basil" or "sweet basil." The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries.
The sweet basil plant holds significance in various cultures and traditions, often associated with love, fertility, and prosperity. In some regions, it was used in religious and spiritual ceremonies, contributing to the name's cultural significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rihan can be found in Arabic literature and poetry from the 9th century. It was sometimes used as a poetic reference to the fragrance and beauty of the basil plant.
Among the historical figures who bore the name Rihan, one notable example is Rihan al-Basri, a renowned Arab poet and scholar from the 8th century. He was known for his contributions to Arabic literature and his mastery of the Arabic language.
Another notable figure was Rihan ibn Rustam, a 9th-century Persian philosopher and mathematician. He is credited with making significant contributions to the field of mathematics, particularly in the study of algebraic equations.
In the 11th century, Rihan al-Dimashqi was a prominent Arab geographer and traveler. He is known for his work "Nukhbat al-Dahr fi 'Aja'ib al-Barr wa al-Bahr," which documented his travels and observations of different lands and cultures.
During the 13th century, Rihan al-Qurashi was a distinguished Islamic scholar and jurist from the city of Mecca. He was renowned for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and his teachings on various aspects of Islamic law.
In the 16th century, Rihan Baydawi was a celebrated Ottoman poet and calligrapher. His works were widely appreciated for their artistic merit and mastery of the Arabic language.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who carried the name Rihan, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and diverse representation across various fields, including literature, science, and religion.
People
Rihan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rihan 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
Rihan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rihan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 387 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rihan 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 885,670 US residents.
Is Rihan a common name?
We classify Rihan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 390 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rihan most popular?
The single biggest year for Rihan was 2016, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rihan is about 8 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 Rihan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rihan a male name?
Yes, 81.5% of people registered as Rihan 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 Rihan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rihan 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 Rihan 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 are named Rihan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.