Shafi
Arabic name meaning "healer" or "intercessor".
Name Census estimates that about 57 living Americans carry the first name Shafi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shafi today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shafi births was 2009 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shafi. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shafi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
57
~ 1 in 6,013,234 Americans
Peak year
2009
7 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2017 SSA rank
#11,992
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Shafi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shafi from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 25 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Shafi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shafi 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 Shafi 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 Shafi
The name Shafi has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the root word "shafa," which means "to heal" or "to cure." It is a name that is closely associated with the Islamic faith and culture.
Shafi is a shortened form of the Arabic name Shafi'i, which refers to the founder of the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence, Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (767-820 CE). He was a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who played a pivotal role in establishing the principles of Islamic law (Sharia) and legal methodology (usul al-fiqh).
The earliest recorded use of the name Shafi can be traced back to the 9th century CE, during the time of Imam al-Shafi'i and his followers. It became a popular name among Muslims, particularly those who adhered to the Shafi'i school of thought or lived in regions where this school had a strong presence.
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Shafi is Shafi ibn Ali (767-820 CE), who was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and a prominent scholar in his own right. He is known for his contributions to the field of hadith (prophetic traditions) and Islamic jurisprudence.
Another notable individual was Shafi al-Din al-Tilimsani (1186-1266 CE), a Sufi scholar and mystic from the Maghreb region (North Africa). He was renowned for his teachings on Sufism and his influential work, "Sharh al-Hikam al-Ata'iyyah."
In the Indian subcontinent, Shafi Khan (1616-1659 CE) was a prominent military leader and governor during the Mughal Empire. He served under the Mughal emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb and played a crucial role in various military campaigns.
In the field of poetry, Shafi Athar (1864-1903 CE) was a renowned Urdu poet from the Indian subcontinent. He is celebrated for his ghazals (lyric poems) and his contributions to the development of Urdu literature.
Lastly, Shafi Bhuiyan (1920-1987 CE) was a renowned Bangladeshi writer and journalist. He played a significant role in the Language Movement of Bangladesh and is remembered for his literary works and contributions to the country's cultural heritage.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Shafi throughout history, reflecting its deep-rooted connection with Islamic culture, literature, and various fields of scholarship.
People
Shafi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shafi 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
Shafi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shafi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 57 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shafi 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 6,013,234 US residents.
Is Shafi a common name?
We classify Shafi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 58 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shafi most popular?
The single biggest year for Shafi was 2009, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shafi is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shafi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shafi 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.