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Rare

Safiya

An Arabic feminine name meaning "pure", "sincere", or "truthful".

Name Census estimates that about 2,611 living Americans carry the first name Safiya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Safiya today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Safiya births was 2024 (162 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Safiya. 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.

Key insights

  • Safiya is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.

People living today

2.6K

~ 1 in 131,273 Americans

Peak year

2024

162 babies that year

Average age

17

years old

2024 SSA rank

#1,389

Tracked since 1973

Popularity

Safiya: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Safiya from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 796 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

0418112216219801990200020102020

Decades

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

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1970s0123123
1980s0264264
1990s0242242
2000s0517517
2010s0796796
2020s0720720

Geography

Where Safiyas live

The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Safiya, while Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 86 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Safiya

The name Safiya has its roots in the Arabic language and has been in use for centuries across various regions of the Middle East and North Africa. Its origins can be traced back to the Arabic word "safaa," which means "purity" or "clarity."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Safiya can be found in Islamic history, where it was the name of a Jewish woman who became the wife of the Prophet Muhammad after the conquest of Khaybar in the 7th century. This event is mentioned in various Islamic texts and historical records.

In the 10th century, Safiya al-Saghira was a prominent female poet and scholar from Cordoba, Spain, known for her contributions to the literary and intellectual circles of the time. Her poetry and writings have been preserved and studied by scholars over the centuries.

Another notable figure with the name Safiya was Safiya Bint Huyayy, a 7th-century woman who played a significant role in early Islamic history. She was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and is celebrated for her wisdom, piety, and dedication to the faith.

In the 13th century, Safiya al-Andalusiya was a renowned Muslim scholar and poet from Seville, Spain. Her literary works, particularly her poetry, were highly acclaimed and influenced the literary traditions of her time.

During the Ottoman Empire, Safiya Sultan, born in 1550 and died in 1619, was a prominent figure. She was the wife of Sultan Murad III and served as the Valide Sultan (Queen Mother) during the reign of her son, Sultan Mehmed III.

These examples illustrate the historical significance and enduring presence of the name Safiya across different eras and regions, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and association with notable figures in various fields, including literature, scholarship, and leadership.

People

Safiya + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Safiya 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

Safiya: questions and answers

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

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,611 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Safiya 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 131,273 US residents.

Is Safiya a common name?

We classify Safiya as "Rare". It ranks above 94.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,662 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Safiya most popular?

The single biggest year for Safiya was 2024, when 162 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Safiya is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Safiya a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Safiya 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.

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.

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