NameCensus.
Very Rare

Saafir

A masculine Arabic name meaning "traveler" or "voyager".

Name Census estimates that about 149 living Americans carry the first name Saafir. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Saafir today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saafir births was 2016 (13 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Saafir. 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 Saafir with official rankings and popularity over time.

People living today

149

~ 1 in 2,300,365 Americans

Peak year

2016

13 babies that year

Average age

13

years old

2024 SSA rank

#10,678

Tracked since 1999

Popularity

Saafir: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Saafir 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 85 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Saafir remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.

Babies born per year

037101320002005201020152020

Decades

Saafir 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 Saafir during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1990s909
2000s29029
2010s85085
2020s27027

Geography

Where Saafirs live

Origin

Meaning and history of Saafir

The name Saafir is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, with roots tracing back to the ancient Middle Eastern cultures and civilizations. It is derived from the Arabic word "safara," which means "to travel" or "to journey." The name likely emerged during the early Islamic era, when trade and exploration were flourishing across the vast expanse of the Middle East and North Africa.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Saafir can be found in the works of renowned Arab poets and writers from the 7th to 9th centuries AD. These literary works often featured characters bearing this name, reflecting the nomadic and adventurous spirit of the time. The name's association with travel and exploration resonated deeply with the cultural values and traditions of the region.

In the realm of Islamic history, the name Saafir gained further significance as it was borne by several notable figures. One such individual was Saafir al-Baghdadi, a prominent scholar and poet who lived during the 9th century AD in the city of Baghdad, then a center of intellectual and cultural exchange. His contributions to Arabic literature and poetry have left a lasting impact on the region's literary heritage.

Throughout the subsequent centuries, the name Saafir continued to be embraced by various communities across the Middle East and North Africa. Notable bearers of this name include Saafir al-Andalusi, a renowned Andalusian poet and philosopher from the 11th century AD, whose works explored the themes of spirituality and the human condition. Another prominent figure was Saafir al-Qays, a 12th-century Arab traveler and explorer who documented his journeys through the Middle East and parts of Europe, providing valuable insights into the cultures and landscapes he encountered.

In more recent times, the name Saafir has been carried by several influential individuals, such as Saafir al-Masri, an Egyptian writer and journalist from the late 19th century, whose works shed light on the social and political issues of his era. Additionally, Saafir al-Kabir, a 20th-century Moroccan artist and calligrapher, gained recognition for his intricate and beautiful calligraphic works, which celebrated the rich artistic traditions of the region.

While the name Saafir may have evolved and taken on different cultural nuances across various regions and time periods, its essence remains rooted in the spirit of exploration, curiosity, and the pursuit of knowledge – a testament to the enduring legacy of the ancient cultures that birthed this captivating moniker.

People

Saafir + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Saafir as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Related

Other names starting with S

Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.

FAQ

Saafir: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Saafir?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 149 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saafir 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 2,300,365 US residents.

Is Saafir a common name?

We classify Saafir as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 150 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Saafir most popular?

The single biggest year for Saafir was 2016, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saafir is about 13 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 Saafir in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Saafir a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Saafir 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 Saafir still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Saafir 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 Saafir 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 share the name Saafir?

HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.

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There are 149 people

with the first name

Saafir

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