Saud
A masculine Arabic name meaning "increase" or "continuing happiness".
Name Census estimates that about 490 living Americans carry the first name Saud. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Saud today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saud births was 2016 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Saud. 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.
People living today
490
~ 1 in 699,499 Americans
Peak year
2016
39 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,162
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Saud: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Saud 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 263 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Saud 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 Saud during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sauds live
Origin
Meaning and history of Saud
The name Saud has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "sa'ada," which means "happiness" or "good fortune." It is a masculine name that has been popular in the Arab world for centuries.
Saud is believed to have been in use as a name since the early days of Islam, around the 7th century CE. It is not directly mentioned in the Quran or other Islamic scriptures, but its meaning is in line with Islamic teachings that emphasize happiness, contentment, and gratitude.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Saud can be found in the historical records of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, which ruled over vast territories in the Middle East and North Africa from the 7th to the 13th centuries. During this period, several prominent figures bore the name Saud, including princes, governors, and military leaders.
In the 18th century, the name Saud became closely associated with the House of Saud, the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. The founder of the dynasty, Muhammad bin Saud (1710-1765), played a pivotal role in establishing the first Saudi state and spreading the teachings of the Muslim reformer Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures named Saud, including:
1. Saud bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (1902-1969), the second king of Saudi Arabia, who reigned from 1953 to 1964.
2. Saud Al-Faisal (1940-2015), a prominent Saudi prince and diplomat who served as the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 2015.
3. Saud Al-Thani (1966-2014), a member of the Qatari royal family and a prominent businessman and philanthropist.
4. Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi (1918-1994), the ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1948 to 1994.
5. Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla (1932-2009), a Saudi Arabian historian, writer, and politician who served as the Minister of Information from 1975 to 1983.
The name Saud continues to be popular among Arab families, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region, due to its strong cultural and historical significance.
People
Saud + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Saud 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
Saud: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Saud?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 490 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saud 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 699,499 US residents.
Is Saud a common name?
We classify Saud as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 497 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Saud most popular?
The single biggest year for Saud was 2016, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saud is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Saud a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Saud 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.
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.