Sulayman
A masculine name from Arabic meaning "man of peace".
Name Census estimates that about 674 living Americans carry the first name Sulayman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sulayman today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sulayman births was 2017 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sulayman. 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
674
~ 1 in 508,538 Americans
Peak year
2017
45 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,440
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Sulayman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sulayman 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 265 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sulayman remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sulayman 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 Sulayman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sulaymans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, New York, Georgia recorded the most babies named Sulayman, while Illinois, Georgia, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sulayman
The given name Sulayman has its origins in the Arabic language. It is derived from the Semitic root word "slm" which means "peace" or "safety". The name is closely linked to the Prophet Solomon, who is revered in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
In Arabic, Sulayman is the equivalent of the Hebrew name Shlomo, which is the name of the third king of united Israel in the 10th century BCE. The name appears frequently in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, which detail Solomon's reign and his contributions to the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem.
The earliest recorded use of the name Sulayman can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. One of Muhammad's companions and a renowned military leader was named Sulayman ibn Surad al-Khuzai.
Throughout Islamic history, several notable figures have borne the name Sulayman. One of the most famous is Sulayman the Magnificent, the tenth sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who ruled from 1520 to 1566. During his reign, the Ottoman Empire reached its golden age, with significant territorial expansion and cultural achievements.
Another prominent figure named Sulayman was Sulayman al-Atashi, a Persian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 11th century. He made significant contributions to the development of spherical trigonometry and wrote several influential works on astronomy and mathematics.
In the literary world, Sulayman al-Bustani was a renowned Lebanese writer, linguist, and reformer of the 19th century. He played a crucial role in the revival of the Arabic language and the promotion of modern Arabic literature.
Sulayman Pasha al-Faransi, also known as Soliman le Magnifique, was a French military officer who converted to Islam and served as a general in the Ottoman Empire during the late 16th century. He is remembered for his military campaigns and his role in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
These are just a few examples of notable historical figures who have borne the name Sulayman. The name has a rich history and continues to be a popular choice in many parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East and among Muslim communities.
People
Sulayman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sulayman 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
Sulayman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sulayman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 674 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sulayman 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 508,538 US residents.
Is Sulayman a common name?
We classify Sulayman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 681 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sulayman most popular?
The single biggest year for Sulayman was 2017, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sulayman is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sulayman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sulayman 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.