Sharia
Meaning "straight path" or "way to the watering place".
Name Census estimates that about 618 living Americans carry the first name Sharia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sharia today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sharia births was 1977 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sharia. 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
618
~ 1 in 554,619 Americans
Peak year
1977
32 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2020 SSA rank
#17,143
Tracked since 1950
Popularity
Sharia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sharia from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 220 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sharia 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 Sharia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sharias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sharia
The name Sharia has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, originating from the Middle East region during the early Islamic era. It is derived from the Arabic word "shar'iah," which means "the path" or "the way." This term is closely associated with Islamic religious law and the moral code of conduct for Muslims.
In Islamic tradition, Sharia refers to the divine guidance and principles that govern various aspects of life, including religious rituals, personal conduct, and social interactions. The term is mentioned numerous times in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, and is considered a crucial aspect of the Islamic faith.
The earliest recorded use of the name Sharia can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the establishment of the Islamic caliphate. It is believed that some of the early followers of Islam may have adopted the name Sharia as a way to signify their adherence to the religious principles and laws.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Sharia, though its usage as a personal name has been relatively uncommon. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Sharia al-Qurashi, a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist who lived in the 8th century CE in Medina, the holy city of Islam.
Another notable figure was Sharia al-Daylami, a 10th-century Persian poet and mystic who wrote extensively on Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam. Her works have had a lasting influence on Islamic literature and spirituality.
In the 12th century, there was Sharia al-Naysaburi, a renowned Islamic scholar and hadith expert from the city of Nishapur (present-day Iran). He authored several notable works on hadith (prophetic traditions) and played a significant role in preserving and transmitting Islamic knowledge.
During the 13th century, Sharia al-Andalusi was a prominent Muslim scholar and traveler from Spain (known as Al-Andalus during the Islamic rule). He wrote extensively on various subjects, including geography, astronomy, and Islamic jurisprudence.
In the 15th century, Sharia al-Shirazi was a celebrated Persian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of trigonometry and the study of planetary movements.
While the name Sharia has deep historical and religious significance in the Islamic tradition, its usage as a personal name has remained relatively limited compared to other Arabic names. However, it continues to hold a special place in Islamic culture and serves as a reminder of the importance of adhering to the divine principles and moral code outlined in the Sharia.
People
Sharia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sharia 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
Sharia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sharia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 618 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sharia 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 554,619 US residents.
Is Sharia a common name?
We classify Sharia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 653 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sharia most popular?
The single biggest year for Sharia was 1977, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sharia is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sharia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sharia in the SSA data are female. 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.