Tawfik
A masculine Arabic name meaning "one who is successful or prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Tawfik. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tawfik today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tawfik births was 2000 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tawfik. 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 Tawfik. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2000
7 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2000 SSA rank
#9,021
Tracked since 2000
Census
Tawfik in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 286 people with the first name Tawfik, which placed it at #30,451 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#30,451
National first-name rank
People counted
286
286 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
81.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tawfik
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tawfik is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and Black (7.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tawfik described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Tawfik at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 232
- Two or more races10.5% · 30
- Black or African American7.0% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Tawfik: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tawfik 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 Tawfik 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 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tawfik
The name Tawfik has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic word "tawfiq," which means "success" or "divine guidance." The name carries a religious and spiritual connotation, often associated with blessings and prosperity.
In Islamic tradition, the concept of "tawfiq" is closely linked to the notion of seeking Allah's guidance and assistance in achieving success in one's endeavors. It is believed that true success can only be attained through divine favor and guidance. The name Tawfik, therefore, reflects a desire for the bearer to be guided on the right path and blessed with prosperity and accomplishments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tawfik can be found in historical texts from the 11th century, during the Abbasid Caliphate. The name gained popularity among Arabic-speaking communities and subsequently spread to other regions as Islam expanded.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Tawfik. One of the most prominent was Tawfik Pasha (1852-1892), an Egyptian prince and the sixth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty. He is remembered for his efforts to modernize Egypt and establish stronger ties with European powers.
Another renowned figure was Tawfik al-Hakim (1898-1987), an Egyptian writer and playwright widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern Arabic literature. His works, such as "The People of the Cave" and "The Sultan's Dilemma," explored themes of social and political critique, earning him widespread acclaim across the Arab world.
In the realm of music, Tawfik Abdul-Sakr (1941-2007) was a renowned Syrian composer and singer who contributed significantly to the development of Arabic pop music. His songs, infused with traditional Syrian and Arabic influences, gained immense popularity throughout the Middle East.
Tawfik Bouazza (born 1976) is a contemporary Dutch writer and poet of Moroccan descent. His works often explore issues of identity, migration, and cultural integration, earning him numerous literary awards and recognition in the Netherlands and beyond.
Tawfik Hamid (born 1964) is an Egyptian-American author and former Islamic extremist who now advocates for the reformation of Islam. His personal journey from radicalism to moderation and his insights into the roots of extremism have made him a prominent voice in the discussion of Islamic reform.
The name Tawfik continues to hold significance across various cultures and communities, carrying with it the hope and aspiration for divine guidance, success, and prosperity. Its rich history and profound meaning have contributed to its enduring popularity throughout the centuries.
People
Tawfik + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tawfik 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
Tawfik: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tawfik?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tawfik 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Tawfik a common name?
We classify Tawfik as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tawfik most popular?
The single biggest year for Tawfik was 2000, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tawfik is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tawfik in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 286 people with the name Tawfik, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,451 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Tawfik in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tawfik?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tawfik appears almost entirely male. Of the 285 people counted with this name, 99.6% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tawfik?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tawfik is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and Black (7.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Tawfik most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Tawfik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (232 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Tawfik in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tawfik a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tawfik 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 Tawfik still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tawfik 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 Tawfik 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.
How many people are called Tawfik?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.