Shareif
Of Arabic origin, meaning noble or respected.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Shareif. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shareif today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shareif births was 1994 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shareif. 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 Shareif. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1994
5 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
1994 SSA rank
#10,018
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Shareif: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Shareif 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 Shareif during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Shareif
The name Shareif has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "sharif," which means noble, distinguished, or honorable. This name has been in use for centuries within the Arabic-speaking world and has a rich historical significance.
In the context of Arabic history, the term "sharif" was often used to refer to descendants of the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Ali. These individuals were held in high esteem and played crucial roles in the early Islamic caliphates.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Shareif can be found in the writings of medieval Islamic scholars and historians. For instance, the 9th-century historian Al-Tabari mentions a figure named Shareif ibn Al-Abbas, who was a prominent military commander during the Abbasid Caliphate.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shareif. One such person was Shareif al-Din Ali Yazdi (1292-1367), a renowned Persian philosopher, scientist, and mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of logic, astronomy, and mathematics.
Another prominent figure was Shareif Idrissi (1165-1251), a Moroccan explorer, geographer, and cartographer who produced one of the most advanced maps of the known world during the Middle Ages, known as the Tabula Rogeriana.
In the realm of literature, Shareif Ghalib (1797-1869) was a celebrated Urdu poet from the Indian subcontinent, renowned for his mastery of the Urdu language and his profound poetic works.
The name Shareif also has a rich legacy in the Islamic world, with several rulers and prominent figures bearing this name. For example, Shareif Husayn bin Ali (1854-1931) was the Sharif of Mecca and a key figure in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
Another notable figure was Shareif Ali Khan (1915-1987), a prominent Pakistani diplomat and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1965 to 1966.
While these are just a few examples, the name Shareif has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields, from religion and politics to literature and exploration.
People
Shareif + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shareif 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
Shareif: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shareif?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shareif 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 Shareif a common name?
We classify Shareif 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 Shareif most popular?
The single biggest year for Shareif was 1994, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shareif is about 31 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 Shareif in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shareif a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shareif 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 Shareif still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shareif 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 Shareif 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 have Shareif as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.