Usef
A masculine Arabic name meaning "little wolf" or "little predator".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Usef. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Usef today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Usef births was 1992 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Usef. 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 Usef. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1992
5 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1992 SSA rank
#9,751
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Usef: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Usef 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 Usef during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Usef
The name Usef is derived from the Arabic name Yusuf, which has its origins in the Hebrew name Yosef. The name Yosef is believed to stem from the Hebrew root "yasaf," meaning "to add" or "to increase." This suggests that the name Usef may convey a sense of abundance or growth.
Yusuf, the Arabic variant, is a prominent name in Islam, as it is the name of the Islamic prophet Joseph, who is revered in the Quran. The story of Prophet Yusuf is recounted in detail in the 12th chapter of the holy book. The name Usef, therefore, carries religious significance for Muslims.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yusuf can be found in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, where it refers to the son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. This biblical figure, known as Joseph in English, played a crucial role in the story of the Israelites' migration to Egypt.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Usef or its variants. One of the most famous is Yusuf ibn Yahya, also known as al-Mansur (758-775 CE), the second Abbasid caliph who established the city of Baghdad as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.
Another prominent figure is Yusuf al-Faqir (1213-1289 CE), a Sufi mystic and poet from Anatolia, who contributed significantly to the development of Turkish literature and Sufism.
In the realm of science, Yusuf al-Khuri (1892-1957) was a prominent Lebanese mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of differential geometry.
Yusuf Idris (1927-1991), an Egyptian novelist and playwright, is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in modern Arabic literature. His works often explored the struggles and complexities of everyday life in Egypt.
Usef Kendall (1835-1914) was an American poet and abolitionist who actively campaigned against slavery and advocated for civil rights. He is known for his powerful and thought-provoking poems that shed light on the experiences of African Americans during that era.
People
Usef + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Usef as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Usef: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Usef?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Usef 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 Usef a common name?
We classify Usef 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 Usef most popular?
The single biggest year for Usef was 1992, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Usef is about 33 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 Usef in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Usef a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Usef 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 Usef still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Usef 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 Usef 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 share the name Usef?
Want to know how many people share the name Usef? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.