Wakeen
A masculine Arabic name meaning "worthy, deserving, or steadfast".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Wakeen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wakeen today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wakeen births was 1994 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wakeen. 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 Wakeen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1994
5 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
1994 SSA rank
#10,185
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Wakeen: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wakeen 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 Wakeen 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 Wakeen
The name Wakeen has its origins in the ancient Arabic language and culture, with roots dating back to the 7th century CE. It derives from the Arabic word "waqin," meaning "protector" or "guardian." This name was commonly given to newborn boys as a symbol of the parents' hope for their child to grow up as a strong, capable individual who could safeguard and defend their family and community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wakeen can be found in the historical chronicles of the Umayyad Caliphate, where it was mentioned as the name of a prominent military commander who served under the renowned Caliph Al-Walid I in the early 8th century. This commander, Wakeen ibn Abi al-Qasim, was renowned for his bravery and strategic prowess on the battlefield, further solidifying the name's association with strength and protection.
In the religious context, the name Wakeen appears in several ancient Islamic texts, including the hadith literature, which chronicles the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad. These texts mention individuals named Wakeen who were companions of the Prophet and played significant roles in the early days of Islam, further adding to the name's historical significance.
Throughout the centuries, the name Wakeen has been carried by numerous notable figures across the Arab world. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Wakeen al-Khazraji, a renowned 10th-century Arab poet and scholar from Basra, Iraq, whose works are still widely studied and appreciated today. Another notable figure was Wakeen al-Din al-Baydawi, a 13th-century Islamic scholar and theologian from Persia, known for his influential commentary on the Qur'an.
Other historical figures with the name Wakeen include:
1. Wakeen ibn Uthman (d. 767 CE), a prominent jurist and hadith scholar from Medina.
2. Wakeen al-Dimashqi (d. 923 CE), a respected Arab historian and chronicler from Damascus.
3. Wakeen al-Andalusi (d. 1086 CE), a renowned Andalusian poet and literary figure from the era of Islamic rule in Spain.
4. Wakeen al-Ghazzi (1554-1624 CE), a Syrian scholar and biographer who authored numerous works on Islamic history and jurisprudence.
5. Wakeen al-Samarrai (1898-1959 CE), an Iraqi politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Iraq in the 1940s.
The name Wakeen continues to be used in various Arabic-speaking regions, carrying with it a rich historical and cultural legacy that spans over a millennium.
People
Wakeen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wakeen 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
Wakeen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wakeen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wakeen 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 Wakeen a common name?
We classify Wakeen 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 Wakeen most popular?
The single biggest year for Wakeen was 1994, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wakeen is about 31 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 Wakeen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wakeen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wakeen 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 Wakeen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wakeen 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 Wakeen 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 are called Wakeen?
You can see how many Americans are named Wakeen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.