Sayeed
An Arabic name meaning "master, lord, or chief".
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the first name Sayeed. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sayeed today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sayeed births was 2000 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sayeed. 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 Sayeed with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
118
~ 1 in 2,904,698 Americans
Peak year
2000
11 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,699
Tracked since 1989
Census
Sayeed in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 385 people with the first name Sayeed, which placed it at #24,842 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
#24,842
National first-name rank
People counted
385
385 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
58.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sayeed
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sayeed is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (8.6%). 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 Sayeed 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 Sayeed at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander58.4% · 225
- Black or African American19.0% · 73
- Two or more races8.6% · 33
- White8.1% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Popularity
Sayeed: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sayeed from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 57 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Sayeed remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sayeed 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 Sayeed during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sayeed
The name Sayeed has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots dating back to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic word "sayyid," meaning "lord," "master," or "chief." This term was used as a title of respect and honor, particularly for those who were descendants of the Prophet Muhammad or members of influential families.
The name Sayeed gained prominence during the rise of Islam and the spread of Arabic culture across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia. It was often bestowed upon individuals of high social standing, religious scholars, and those who held positions of authority within the Muslim community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sayeed can be found in Islamic literature and historical texts from the 8th and 9th centuries. For example, Sayeed ibn Musayyib (637–715 AD), a prominent scholar and jurist in Medina, was renowned for his vast knowledge of Islamic law and his role in preserving the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Sayeed. One of the most famous was Sayeed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas (1931-2023), a prominent Malaysian philosopher, and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of Islamic thought and education. His works have had a lasting impact on the intellectual discourse within the Muslim world.
Another individual of historical significance was Sayeed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898), a renowned Indian Muslim philosopher, scholar, and reformer. He played a crucial role in promoting modern education and advocating for the reconciliation of Islamic teachings with Western thought and science.
In the realm of literature, Sayeed Qutb (1906-1966), an Egyptian author, and Islamic theorist, left a lasting mark with his influential writings on Islamic revivalism and his interpretation of the Quran. His works, such as "Milestones" and "In the Shade of the Quran," have been widely read and discussed within Muslim communities worldwide.
During the 20th century, Sayeed Nursi (1877-1960), a Kurdish scholar and theologian, gained recognition for his comprehensive commentary on the Quran, known as the "Risale-i Nur" (Epistles of Light). His teachings and writings have had a profound impact on the spiritual and intellectual development of many Muslims, particularly in Turkey and the surrounding regions.
It is worth noting that while the name Sayeed has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has also been adopted and used by individuals from various ethnic and religious backgrounds, particularly in regions where Arabic influence has been prevalent.
People
Sayeed + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sayeed 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
Sayeed: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sayeed?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 118 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sayeed 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 2,904,698 US residents.
Is Sayeed a common name?
We classify Sayeed as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 119 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sayeed most popular?
The single biggest year for Sayeed was 2000, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sayeed is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sayeed in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 385 people with the name Sayeed, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,842 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 Sayeed 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 Sayeed?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sayeed leans strongly male. 382 people counted with this name were male (98.5%), compared with 6 female bearers (1.5%). 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 Sayeed?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sayeed is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (8.6%). 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 Sayeed most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sayeed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.4% (225 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 Sayeed in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sayeed a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sayeed 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 Sayeed still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sayeed 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 Sayeed 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 have Sayeed as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Sayeed on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.