Usmaan
A masculine Arabic name meaning "little one" or "cub".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Usmaan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Usmaan today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Usmaan births was 2002 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Usmaan. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Usmaan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Usmaan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
2002
9 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,027
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Usmaan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Usmaan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 9 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Usmaan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Usmaan 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 Usmaan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Usmaan
The name Usmaan has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the root word "سمع" (sama'a), which means "to hear" or "to listen." It is a variant spelling of the more common Arabic name Uthman.
In the 7th century CE, during the early years of Islam, Usmaan was the name of the third Caliph of the Muslim world, Uthman ibn Affan. He was a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad and played a crucial role in the compilation and preservation of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Uthman ibn Affan ruled from 644 to 656 CE and his reign was marked by the expansion of the Islamic Empire into modern-day Iran, Armenia, and parts of North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Usmaan can be found in the writings of medieval Arab scholars and historians who documented the life and achievements of Uthman ibn Affan. The name also appears in various Islamic texts and historical records from that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Usmaan. Osman I (1258-1326) was the founder and the first Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over a vast territory spanning from Southeast Europe to the Middle East for over six centuries. Usmaan Dan Fodio (1754-1817) was a prominent Islamic scholar, revolutionary, and founder of the Sokoto Caliphate in present-day Nigeria.
Other famous individuals with the name Usmaan include Usmaan bin Affan (574-656), the third Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate; Usmaan Ibn Munqidh (1095-1188), a famous Arab poet and warrior from Syria; and Usmaan Ibn Fudi (1754-1817), a renowned Islamic scholar and the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate in present-day Nigeria.
The name Usmaan has been popular among Muslim communities worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of South Asia. Its enduring legacy stems from its association with the revered Caliph Uthman ibn Affan and the historical significance of preserving the Holy Quran during his reign.
People
Usmaan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Usmaan 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
Usmaan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Usmaan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Usmaan 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Usmaan a common name?
We classify Usmaan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Usmaan most popular?
The single biggest year for Usmaan was 2002, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Usmaan is about 16 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 Usmaan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Usmaan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Usmaan 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 Usmaan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Usmaan 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 Usmaan 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 Usmaan as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Usmaan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.