Tahlib
A masculine Arabic name meaning "seeker of knowledge" or "student".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Tahlib. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tahlib today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tahlib births was 2001 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tahlib. 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 Tahlib. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2001
5 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2001 SSA rank
#12,101
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Tahlib: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tahlib 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 Tahlib during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tahlib
The given name Tahlib is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots traced back to the Middle East region during the 7th century CE. The name is derived from the Arabic word "talib," which means "student" or "seeker of knowledge." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals who pursued education or sought enlightenment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tahlib can be found in the historical chronicles of the Umayyad Caliphate, which ruled a significant portion of the Middle East and North Africa from the 7th to the 8th century CE. During this period, the name was associated with scholars and intellectuals who contributed to the advancement of various fields, including literature, philosophy, and science.
In the 9th century CE, a prominent figure named Tahlib ibn Habib al-Naufali gained recognition as a renowned poet and writer in the court of the Abbasid Caliphs. His literary works, which celebrated the Arabic language and culture, were widely admired and served as a testament to the name's association with intellectual pursuits.
Another notable individual bearing the name Tahlib was a 12th-century scholar and jurist from Andalusia, known as Tahlib ibn Abi Bakr al-Qurtubi. His contributions to Islamic jurisprudence and legal studies were highly regarded, and his works became influential references in the field of Maliki legal tradition.
In the realm of Islamic mysticism, the name Tahlib is linked to Tahlib al-Dimashqi, a 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet from Damascus. His spiritual writings and poetic verses, which explored the divine mysteries and the path of self-knowledge, gained widespread recognition and continue to be studied by Sufi practitioners to this day.
During the Ottoman Empire era, a notable figure named Tahlib Efendi emerged in the 16th century as a prominent calligrapher and artist. His exquisite calligraphic works, adorning mosques and palaces, were celebrated for their beauty and mastery of the Arabic script, further solidifying the name's association with artistic and intellectual endeavors.
It is worth noting that while the name Tahlib has historical roots in the Arabic-speaking world, its usage has transcended cultural and geographical boundaries, with individuals from diverse backgrounds adopting and embracing the name in various parts of the world throughout history.
People
Tahlib + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tahlib 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
Tahlib: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tahlib?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tahlib 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Tahlib a common name?
We classify Tahlib as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tahlib most popular?
The single biggest year for Tahlib was 2001, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tahlib is about 25 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 Tahlib in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tahlib a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tahlib 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 Tahlib still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tahlib 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 Tahlib 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 named Tahlib?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.