Wafiq
A masculine Arabic name meaning "suitable" or "in agreement".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Wafiq. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wafiq today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wafiq births was 2023 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wafiq. 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 Wafiq with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wafiq. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2023
6 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,151
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Wafiq: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wafiq 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 Wafiq during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wafiq
The name Wafiq is of Arabic origin and has its roots in the language spoken across parts of the Middle East and North Africa. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly around the 7th or 8th century CE, when Arabic was rapidly spreading across the region.
Wafiq is derived from the Arabic root word "wafaqa," which means "to agree" or "to be compatible." The name itself carries the meaning of "harmonious," "compatible," or "agreeable." It was likely given to newborns as a expression of the parents' hope that the child would grow up to be a person of harmony and compatibility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wafiq can be found in the famous Arabic literary work "One Thousand and One Nights" (also known as the Arabian Nights). This collection of Middle Eastern folk tales, dating back to the 9th century CE, features a character named Wafiq al-Daylami, who is a wealthy merchant from the city of Shiraz in present-day Iran.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Wafiq. One prominent example is Wafiq ibn al-Muhtadi (842-891 CE), an Abbasid prince and governor of Egypt during the 9th century. He was known for his military campaigns against the Tulunid dynasty, which ruled parts of Syria and Palestine at the time.
Another significant figure was Wafiq Al-Ghanim (1920-1990), a Kuwaiti businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Al-Ghanim Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the Middle East, and was known for his charitable contributions to various educational and social causes in Kuwait.
In the realm of literature, Wafiq Al-Hakim (1876-1959) was an Egyptian novelist and playwright who played a crucial role in the development of modern Arabic literature. His works, such as "The Return of the Spirit" and "The Maze of Truth," explored themes of social reform and the complexities of human relationships.
The name Wafiq has also been borne by contemporary figures, such as Wafiq Al-Samarrai (born 1952), an Iraqi politician who served as the Secretary-General of the Iraqi National Accord from 2004 to 2009, during the post-Saddam Hussein era.
Throughout its history, the name Wafiq has carried connotations of harmony, compatibility, and agreeability, reflecting the cultural values and linguistic heritage of the Arabic-speaking world.
People
Wafiq + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wafiq as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wafiq: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wafiq?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wafiq 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Wafiq a common name?
We classify Wafiq as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wafiq most popular?
The single biggest year for Wafiq was 2023, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wafiq is about 3 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 Wafiq in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wafiq a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wafiq 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 Wafiq still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wafiq 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 Wafiq 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 Wafiq as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.