Symba
A variant of the name Simba or Simbah, meaning "lion" in Swahili.
Name Census estimates that about 41 living Americans carry the first name Symba. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 83.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Symba today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Symba births was 1991 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Symba. 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 Symba. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
41
~ 1 in 8,359,862 Americans
Peak year
1991
30 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,739
Tracked since 1991
Gender
Gender distribution for Symba
Symba leans heavily female at 83.3% of total registrations, but 7 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Symba as a male name
- Ranked #10,739 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (7 births)
Symba as a female name
- Ranked #15,321 in 1992
- 5 female births in 1992
- Peak: 1991 (30 births)
Popularity
Symba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Symba from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 35 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
Symba 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 Symba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Symba
The name Symba is an intriguing one with a rich and varied history. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Phoenician language, which was spoken in the region that is now modern-day Lebanon, Syria, and parts of Israel. The word "symba" in Phoenician is believed to have meant "lion" or "brave warrior."
In the centuries that followed, the name Symba appeared in various ancient texts and historical records. It is mentioned in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BCE. He described a group of mercenary soldiers from Phoenicia who were known for their bravery in battle and were referred to as the "Symba warriors."
The name also found its way into early Christian texts, where it was often used as a symbolic representation of strength and courage in the face of adversity. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Symba was a Christian martyr from the 3rd century CE, who was known for his unwavering faith and willingness to sacrifice his life for his beliefs.
As time passed, the name Symba began to spread across various cultures and regions. In the 8th century CE, there was a famous Arab poet named Symba ibn al-Qayyim, who was renowned for his eloquent and moving verses. Another notable figure was Symba al-Andalusi, a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the 10th century, who made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and trigonometry.
During the Middle Ages, the name Symba was particularly popular in the Iberian Peninsula, where it was often associated with the Moorish influence in the region. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Symba ibn Hamdis, a 12th-century poet and philosopher from Cordoba, Spain, whose works were widely celebrated throughout the Islamic world.
As the centuries passed, the name Symba continued to appear in various contexts and cultures. In the 16th century, there was a famous Italian artist named Symba Salviati, who was known for his stunning frescoes and paintings adorning churches and palaces throughout Italy. And in the 18th century, Symba Kahir was a renowned Indian scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit and other ancient languages.
People
Symba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Symba 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
Symba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Symba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 41 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Symba 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 8,359,862 US residents.
Is Symba a common name?
We classify Symba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 42 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Symba most popular?
The single biggest year for Symba was 1991, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Symba is about 29 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 Symba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Symba a female name?
Yes, 83.3% of people registered as Symba 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.
Is Symba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Symba 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 Symba 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 are called Symba?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.