Siraj
Derived from the Arabic word "siraj" meaning light, radiance or lamp.
Name Census estimates that about 604 living Americans carry the first name Siraj. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Siraj today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Siraj births was 2017 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Siraj. 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
604
~ 1 in 567,474 Americans
Peak year
2017
37 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,576
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Siraj: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Siraj from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 243 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Siraj remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Siraj 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 Siraj during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sirajs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Siraj, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Siraj
The name Siraj is derived from the Arabic word "siraj," which means "lamp" or "lantern." This name has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, originating in the Middle East region during the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Siraj can be found in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, where it is used to describe the celestial bodies that illuminate the night sky. This connection to light and illumination has given the name a symbolic significance in the Islamic tradition.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Siraj. One of the earliest recorded was Siraj al-Din al-Bajqani, a Persian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 12th century. He made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and authored several influential works.
In the 13th century, Siraj al-Din al-Saqati was a renowned Sufi scholar and poet from present-day Iraq. His works explored the mystical dimensions of Islam and have been widely studied by scholars and seekers of spiritual knowledge.
During the Mughal Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries, Siraj-ud-Daulah was a notable figure who briefly ruled Bengal. He is remembered for his conflict with the British East India Company, which led to the Battle of Plassey in 1757, a pivotal event in the history of British colonialism in India.
In the realm of literature, Siraj al-Din Ali Khan Arzu was a celebrated 18th-century Urdu poet from India. His works, such as the poetry collection "Nawadir al-Alfaz," are considered masterpieces of Urdu literature and have influenced generations of poets and writers.
More recently, Siraj Ul Haq is a prominent Pakistani political figure who has served as the Ameer (leader) of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a major Islamic political party in Pakistan, since 2009. He has been actively involved in shaping the country's political landscape and advocating for Islamic values in governance.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have carried the name Siraj throughout history, each leaving their mark in fields ranging from mathematics and astronomy to literature, politics, and religion.
People
Siraj + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Siraj 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
Siraj: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Siraj?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 604 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Siraj 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 567,474 US residents.
Is Siraj a common name?
We classify Siraj as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 611 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Siraj most popular?
The single biggest year for Siraj was 2017, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Siraj is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Siraj a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Siraj 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.