Waiz
An Arabic masculine name meaning "preacher" or "adviser".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Waiz. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Waiz today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Waiz births was 2009 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Waiz. 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 Waiz with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Waiz. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2009
5 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2012 SSA rank
#14,119
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Waiz: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Waiz from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Waiz 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 Waiz 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 Waiz
The name Waiz has its origins in the Arabic language, rooted in the word "waz," which means "to preach" or "to exhort." It emerged during the early Islamic period and was primarily associated with religious scholars and preachers. The name's etymology reflects the significance of oratory and preaching in Islamic traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Waiz can be found in the writings of the renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher, Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 CE). He made references to individuals bearing this name, highlighting their roles as preachers and religious instructors within the Islamic community.
Historically, the name Waiz gained prominence among Muslim communities, particularly in regions where Arabic linguistic influences were strong, such as the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of South Asia. It was often bestowed upon individuals who dedicated their lives to religious education and the dissemination of Islamic teachings.
One notable figure bearing the name Waiz was Abu'l-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi (1116-1201 CE), a renowned Hanbali scholar, preacher, and historian from Baghdad. His works on Islamic jurisprudence, hadith studies, and history have left a lasting impact on Islamic scholarship.
Another prominent individual with the name Waiz was Mawlana Waiz Muhammad Karim (1741-1826 CE), a revered Sufi scholar and preacher from Delhi, India. He played a significant role in the spiritual and intellectual life of the region during the late Mughal era.
In the 19th century, Waiz Khan (1817-1888 CE), a renowned Pashtun poet and warrior from present-day Afghanistan, gained recognition for his poetry and his contributions to the resistance against British colonial rule.
The name Waiz has also been borne by contemporary figures, such as Waiz Karim (born 1955 CE), an Afghan scholar and educator who has dedicated his life to promoting education and empowering women in his country.
While the name Waiz has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic traditions, its usage has transcended religious boundaries and can be found among various cultural and ethnic groups, particularly those influenced by the spread of Islamic civilization and Arabic linguistic heritage.
People
Waiz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Waiz 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
Waiz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Waiz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Waiz 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Waiz a common name?
We classify Waiz as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Waiz most popular?
The single biggest year for Waiz was 2009, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Waiz is about 15 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 Waiz in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Waiz a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Waiz 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 Waiz still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Waiz 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 Waiz 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 Waiz as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Waiz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.