Shaheem
An Arabic masculine name meaning "generous" or "bountiful".
Name Census estimates that about 746 living Americans carry the first name Shaheem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shaheem today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaheem births was 1997 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaheem. 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
746
~ 1 in 459,456 Americans
Peak year
1997
47 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,868
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Shaheem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shaheem from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 253 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaheem 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 Shaheem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shaheems live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Shaheem, while New Jersey, Georgia, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaheem
The name Shaheem has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Arabic root word "shahim," which means "high-ranking" or "noble." The name is believed to have been popular among the aristocracy and nobility of the Arabian Peninsula during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Shaheem can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab historian and scholar, Ibn Khaldun, who lived in the 14th century. In his seminal work, "The Muqaddimah," he referred to a prominent figure named Shaheem ibn Malik, who was a military leader during the Abbasid Caliphate.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shaheem. One such figure was Shaheem al-Bakri, an Arab geographer and scholar who lived in the 11th century. He is renowned for his extensive work on the geography and cultures of the Islamic world, particularly his book "Al-Masalik wa'l-Mamalik" (The Roads and Kingdoms).
Another prominent individual with the name Shaheem was Shaheem al-Ghazali, a renowned Islamic theologian and philosopher who lived during the 11th and 12th centuries. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Islamic philosophy, and his works, such as "The Revival of the Religious Sciences," have had a profound impact on Islamic thought and spirituality.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook Shaheem al-Hamdani, a celebrated Arab poet who lived in the 9th century. He was renowned for his mastery of the Arabic language and his poetic works, which often celebrated the virtues of love, chivalry, and honor.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Shaheem al-Ansari, a renowned Sufi mystic and scholar who lived in the 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the Suhrawardi Sufi order and is revered for his spiritual teachings and contributions to the development of Islamic mysticism.
These are just a few examples of prominent individuals throughout history who bore the name Shaheem, a name that has endured and carried a sense of nobility and distinction across various epochs and cultures within the Arabic-speaking world.
People
Shaheem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaheem 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
Shaheem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaheem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 746 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaheem 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 459,456 US residents.
Is Shaheem a common name?
We classify Shaheem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 761 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaheem most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaheem was 1997, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaheem is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shaheem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaheem 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.