Shafay
A masculine name of Persian origin meaning "one who brings solace or healing".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Shafay. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shafay today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shafay births was 2018 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shafay. 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 Shafay with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shafay. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2018
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,774
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Shafay: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Shafay 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 Shafay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Shafay
The given name Shafay has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word 'shafaa', which means healing or cure. The name is believed to have emerged around the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic faith and the spread of the Arabic language across the Middle East and North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shafay can be found in the writings of the famous Arab poet and scholar, Al-Mutanabbi, who lived from 915 to 965 CE. In one of his poems, he mentions a person named Shafay, suggesting the name was in use during that time period.
During the medieval era, the name Shafay gained popularity among Islamic scholars and physicians, as it symbolized the pursuit of knowledge and the art of healing. One notable figure was Shafay al-Baghdadi, a renowned physician and philosopher who lived in Baghdad during the 11th century CE. His contributions to the field of medicine and his writings on philosophy and ethics were widely acclaimed in the Islamic world.
In the 13th century, a prominent Sufi mystic and poet named Shafay al-Din al-Hawi gained recognition for his spiritual teachings and poetic works. He was born in Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1201 CE and is remembered for his profound insights into the mystical aspects of Islam.
Another significant figure who bore the name Shafay was Shafay ibn Idris, a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist who lived in the 8th century CE. He was the founder of the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence, one of the four major Sunni schools of thought.
In more recent history, one of the most notable individuals with the name Shafay was Shafay Muneer, an Indian writer and journalist who lived from 1933 to 2003. He was known for his contributions to Urdu literature and his work as a foreign correspondent for various newspapers and magazines.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Shafay throughout history, reflecting its deep-rooted connections to the Arabic language, Islamic culture, and the pursuit of knowledge and healing.
People
Shafay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shafay 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
Shafay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shafay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shafay 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Shafay a common name?
We classify Shafay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shafay most popular?
The single biggest year for Shafay was 2018, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shafay is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Shafay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shafay a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shafay 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 Shafay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shafay 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 Shafay 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Shafay?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.