Tafsir
An Arabic given name meaning "interpretation" or "explanation".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Tafsir. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tafsir today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tafsir births was 2018 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tafsir. 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 Tafsir. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2018
6 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#11,954
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Tafsir: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tafsir 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 Tafsir during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tafsir
Tafsir is an Arabic name that traces its origins to the word "tafsir," which means "interpretation" or "explanation" in the Arabic language. The name is closely linked to the Islamic tradition of interpreting and understanding the Quran, the holy book of Islam.
The name likely emerged in the early centuries of Islamic history, when scholars and religious figures devoted their lives to studying and interpreting the verses of the Quran. Those who excelled in this field were often referred to as "mufassir" (interpreter) or "tafsir" (interpretation).
One of the earliest and most renowned figures associated with the name Tafsir is Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838-923 CE), a prominent Islamic scholar and historian who authored a comprehensive commentary on the Quran, known as "Jami' al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran" (The Comprehensive Clarification of the Interpretation of the Quran).
Another notable figure was Abu Bakr al-Razi (865-925 CE), a Persian scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on tafsir (interpretation) and other Islamic sciences. His work, "Tafsir al-Kabir" (The Great Commentary), is considered a significant contribution to the field of Quranic exegesis.
In the 12th century, Ibn Rushd (1126-1198 CE), also known as Averroes, a renowned Andalusian philosopher and scholar, wrote a influential commentary on the Quran titled "Tahafut al-Tahafut" (The Incoherence of the Incoherence), which addressed the relationship between religion and philosophy.
Moving forward in history, we encounter Ismail ibn Kathir (1301-1373 CE), an Islamic scholar and historian from Syria, who authored a comprehensive tafsir (interpretation) of the Quran called "Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim" (The Great Interpretation of the Quran), which is widely studied and referenced to this day.
In more recent times, Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905 CE), an Egyptian scholar and reformist, played a significant role in reviving the tradition of tafsir by emphasizing the need to interpret the Quran in light of modern scientific knowledge and social progress.
While the name Tafsir is not as commonly used today as it was in the past, it remains an important part of Islamic history and scholarship, representing the rich tradition of interpreting and understanding the teachings of the Quran.
People
Tafsir + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tafsir as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tafsir: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tafsir?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tafsir 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Tafsir a common name?
We classify Tafsir as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tafsir most popular?
The single biggest year for Tafsir was 2018, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tafsir is about 8 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 Tafsir in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tafsir a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tafsir 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 Tafsir still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tafsir 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 Tafsir 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 Tafsir as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Tafsir on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.