Talal
A masculine Arabic name meaning "fresh plant that grows after rain".
Name Census estimates that about 707 living Americans carry the first name Talal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Talal today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Talal births was 2014 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Talal. 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
707
~ 1 in 484,801 Americans
Peak year
2014
32 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,162
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Talal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Talal from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 254 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Talal remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Talal 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 Talal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Talals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Michigan recorded the most babies named Talal, while New York, Michigan, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Talal
The name Talal has its origins in the Arabic language and can be traced back to the Middle Eastern region. It is derived from the Arabic word "tala'a," which means "to rise" or "to appear." This name is believed to have been in use since ancient times, with possible references in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and literature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Talal can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In Surah An-Nur (Chapter 24, Verse 35), there is a reference to "Talal," which is interpreted as a metaphor for the light of guidance or the light of faith.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Talal. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Talal ibn Ruzayk (born around 580 AD), a renowned Arab poet from the Banu Tamim tribe in pre-Islamic Arabia. His poetry has been preserved in various anthologies and is considered a significant contribution to early Arabic literature.
In the 20th century, Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1909-1976) was a prominent member of the Saudi royal family. He served as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1965 and was known for his efforts to modernize the country's education system and promote social reforms.
Another notable figure was Talal Nayer (1916-2000), an Egyptian actor and filmmaker who appeared in over 200 films and is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of Egyptian cinema.
In the realm of sports, Talal Al-Meshal (born in 1967) is a former Kuwaiti football player who represented his national team and played for several clubs in Kuwait and Qatar.
Talal Akashee (born in 1952) is an Iraqi-American author and professor who has written extensively on Middle Eastern history, politics, and culture. His works have shed light on various aspects of the region's rich heritage and contemporary issues.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Talal throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the cultural tapestry of the regions they hailed from.
People
Talal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Talal 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
Talal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Talal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 707 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Talal 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 484,801 US residents.
Is Talal a common name?
We classify Talal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 719 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Talal most popular?
The single biggest year for Talal was 2014, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Talal is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Talal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Talal 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.