Sahib
An Arabic masculine name meaning lord or master.
Name Census estimates that about 801 living Americans carry the first name Sahib. It is a predominantly male name (93.4% of registrations). The average person named Sahib today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sahib births was 2017 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sahib. 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 Sahib with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
801
~ 1 in 427,908 Americans
Peak year
2017
47 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,437
Tracked since 1985
Census
Sahib in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 850 people with the first name Sahib, which placed it at #13,996 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
#13,996
National first-name rank
People counted
850
850 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
83.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sahib
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sahib is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Sahib 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 Sahib at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander83.1% · 706
- White6.0% · 51
- Black or African American3.6% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 27
- Two or more races2.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 12
Gender
Gender distribution for Sahib
Sahib leans heavily male at 93.4% of total registrations, but 53 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Sahib as a male name
- Ranked #3,437 in 2024
- 34 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2017 (42 births)
Sahib as a female name
- Ranked #17,180 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sahib leans strongly male. 763 people counted with this name were male (90.1%), compared with 84 female bearers (9.9%).
Popularity
Sahib: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sahib from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 376 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sahib remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sahib 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 Sahib during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sahibs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sahib
The name Sahib originates from the Arabic language and is derived from the word "sahib," which means "friend" or "companion." Its roots can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the early days of Islam.
The name gained prominence in the Islamic world, particularly in regions where Arabic was the predominant language or where Islamic culture had a significant influence. It was often used as a title of respect, particularly when addressing someone of high social standing or authority.
In the Indian subcontinent, the word "sahib" was adopted during the Mughal Empire, which ruled from the 16th to the 19th century. It was used as a term of respect for individuals of high status, such as nobles, officials, or Europeans during the British colonial period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sahib can be found in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. The word "sahib" is mentioned several times in various contexts, often referring to companions or associates.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Sahib or variations of it. One such individual was Sahib ibn Abbad, an Arab poet and writer who lived during the 10th century CE and was known for his contributions to Arabic literature.
Another notable figure was Sahib al-Suma, a prominent Muslim scholar and theologian from the 9th century CE. He was renowned for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and played a significant role in the development of Sunni Islamic thought.
In the Indian subcontinent, one of the most famous individuals with the name Sahib was Sahib Divan, a renowned 17th-century Punjabi poet and mystic. His works, which were written in the Punjabi language, explored themes of spirituality and devotion.
During the Ottoman Empire, Sahib I Giray was a prominent Crimean Khan who ruled from 1532 to 1551. He played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Crimean Khanate's power in the region.
In more recent times, Sahib Shihab was an influential Iraqi poet and writer of the 20th century. He was known for his contributions to modern Arabic literature and his socio-political commentary through his works.
While these are just a few examples, the name Sahib has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and significance across different cultures and regions.
People
Sahib + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sahib 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
Sahib: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sahib?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 801 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sahib 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 427,908 US residents.
Is Sahib a common name?
We classify Sahib as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 809 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sahib most popular?
The single biggest year for Sahib was 2017, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sahib is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sahib in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 850 people with the name Sahib, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,996 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 Sahib 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 Sahib?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sahib leans strongly male. 763 people counted with this name were male (90.1%), compared with 84 female bearers (9.9%). 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 Sahib?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sahib is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Sahib most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sahib in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (706 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 Sahib in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sahib a male name?
Yes, 93.4% of people registered as Sahib 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 Sahib still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sahib 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 Sahib 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 share the name Sahib?
Want to know how many people share the name Sahib? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.