Sakeenah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "tranquility" or "serenity".
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the first name Sakeenah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sakeenah today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sakeenah births was 1979 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sakeenah. 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 Sakeenah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
237
~ 1 in 1,446,221 Americans
Peak year
1979
21 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,187
Tracked since 1976
Census
Sakeenah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 284 people with the first name Sakeenah, which placed it at #30,583 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
#30,583
National first-name rank
People counted
284
284 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
80.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sakeenah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sakeenah is Black at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Sakeenah 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 Sakeenah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.3% · 228
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.1% · 23
- Two or more races4.6% · 13
- White3.9% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Popularity
Sakeenah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sakeenah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 89 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sakeenah 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 Sakeenah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sakeenahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sakeenah
The name Sakeenah has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "sakina," which means peace, tranquility, or serenity. The name is often associated with calmness and a peaceful demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Sakeenah can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quran, the word "sakina" is mentioned in several verses, referring to the divine peace and tranquility that descends upon believers.
Throughout history, the name Sakeenah has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded examples is Sakeenah bint al-Husayn (680-737 CE), a prominent Muslim scholar and narrator of hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). She was highly respected for her knowledge and piety.
Another famous historical figure with the name Sakeenah was Sakeenah Begum (1516-1604), a Mughal princess and the daughter of Emperor Humayun. She was known for her intelligence, wisdom, and her contributions to the arts and literature during the Mughal Empire.
In the 19th century, Sakeenah Khatun (1819-1899) was a renowned Indian poet and writer who composed works in Urdu and Persian languages. Her poetry often explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition.
Sakeenah Futerman (1920-2003) was a Palestinian-American author and activist who wrote extensively about the Palestinian cause and advocated for human rights and social justice.
Sakeenah Mohamad (born 1980) is a contemporary Malaysian actress and television host known for her work in various television series and films. She has been recognized for her talent and contributions to the Malaysian entertainment industry.
The name Sakeenah remains popular in various parts of the world, particularly in Muslim communities, as it carries a beautiful meaning and historical significance. It is often chosen for its association with peace, tranquility, and a calm demeanor, reflecting the values and aspirations of parents for their children.
People
Sakeenah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sakeenah 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
Sakeenah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sakeenah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 237 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sakeenah 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 1,446,221 US residents.
Is Sakeenah a common name?
We classify Sakeenah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 250 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sakeenah most popular?
The single biggest year for Sakeenah was 1979, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sakeenah is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sakeenah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 284 people with the name Sakeenah, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,583 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 Sakeenah 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 Sakeenah?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sakeenah appears almost entirely female. Of the 267 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Sakeenah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sakeenah is Black at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Sakeenah most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Sakeenah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (228 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 Sakeenah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sakeenah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sakeenah 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 Sakeenah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sakeenah 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 Sakeenah 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 named Sakeenah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.