Saima
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "fasting" or "observing a fast".
Name Census estimates that about 485 living Americans carry the first name Saima. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Saima today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saima births was 1998 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Saima. 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 Saima with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
485
~ 1 in 706,710 Americans
Peak year
1998
21 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,184
Tracked since 1896
Census
Saima in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,814 people with the first name Saima, which placed it at #5,888 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
#5,888
National first-name rank
People counted
2.8K
2,814 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
89.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saima
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Saima is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Saima 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 Saima at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.3% · 2,514
- White5.0% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 60
- Two or more races2.0% · 57
- Black or African American1.2% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Popularity
Saima: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Saima from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 125 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Saima remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Saima 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 Saima during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Saimas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, Michigan, California recorded the most babies named Saima, while Texas, Minnesota, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Saima
The name Saima is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "saima," which means "fasting" or "abstaining from food and drink." This name gained popularity during the early Islamic era, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
In the 7th century, the name Saima was mentioned in various Islamic texts and literature. It was often associated with the virtues of self-discipline, patience, and spiritual purification. The name's connection to fasting, a significant practice in Islam, contributed to its widespread usage among Muslim communities.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Saima dates back to the 8th century. Saima bint Malik al-Kufi was a renowned Arabic poet and scholar who lived during the Abbasid Caliphate. Her works, which focused on themes of love, nature, and spirituality, were highly regarded in her time.
In the 11th century, Saima al-Andalusiyya was a prominent female poet from the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). Her poetic contributions to the literary traditions of the region were significant, and she was celebrated for her eloquence and mastery of the Arabic language.
During the 12th century, Saima al-Khatun was a powerful female ruler in the Seljuk Empire, which spanned parts of Central Asia and the Middle East. Known for her political acumen and leadership skills, she played a crucial role in maintaining stability and fostering cultural and intellectual developments within her realm.
In more recent history, Saima Noor was a Pakistani poet and writer who lived from 1940 to 2021. Her literary works, which explored themes of social justice, women's rights, and national identity, earned her widespread recognition and numerous awards.
Saima Wazed Hossain, born in 1971, is a Bangladeshi advocate for individuals with autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. She has been instrumental in raising awareness and promoting inclusive policies for individuals on the autism spectrum, both nationally and internationally.
Throughout its history, the name Saima has been associated with values of spirituality, discipline, and intellectual pursuits. While its origins can be traced back to the early Islamic era, the name has transcended cultural boundaries and continues to be embraced by diverse communities around the world.
People
Saima + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Saima 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
Saima: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Saima?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 485 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saima 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 706,710 US residents.
Is Saima a common name?
We classify Saima as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 660 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Saima most popular?
The single biggest year for Saima was 1998, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saima is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Saima in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,814 people with the name Saima, or 0.93 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,888 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 Saima 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 Saima?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Saima appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,811 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 Saima?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Saima is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Saima most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Saima in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,514 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 Saima in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Saima a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Saima 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 Saima still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Saima 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 Saima 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 are called Saima?
You can see how many Americans are named Saima on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.