Walid
A masculine Arabic name meaning "newborn" or "son".
Name Census estimates that about 963 living Americans carry the first name Walid. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Walid today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Walid births was 2017 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Walid. 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.
People living today
963
~ 1 in 355,924 Americans
Peak year
2017
38 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,859
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Walid: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Walid from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 266 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Walid remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Walid 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 Walid during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Walids live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Walid, while Massachusetts, Virginia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Walid
The name Walid has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the root word "walada," which means "to give birth" or "to bear a child." It is a masculine given name that has been in use since ancient times in the Arab world and Islamic cultures.
The earliest recorded use of the name Walid can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Walid ibn Utbah, a companion of Muhammad and a prominent military leader in early Islamic history.
In the 8th century, the name gained further prominence with the rise of the Umayyad Caliphate, one of the longest-reigning dynasties in Islamic history. During this period, two notable figures bore the name Walid: Walid I, who ruled as the sixth Umayyad caliph from 705 to 715 CE, and his son Walid II, who succeeded him as the seventh caliph from 743 to 744 CE.
The name Walid has been mentioned in various Islamic texts and historical records, reflecting its significance and widespread use among Muslims. It has also been adopted by non-Arabic cultures, with variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Throughout history, several other prominent individuals have borne the name Walid. One such figure was Walid ibn Yazid, a renowned Arab poet and scholar who lived during the 8th century CE. Another notable bearer of the name was Walid ibn Abdul Malik, an Umayyad prince and military commander who played a pivotal role in the Islamic conquest of Sindh (present-day Pakistan) in the early 8th century.
Additionally, Walid al-Azraqi, a 9th-century Arab historian and geographer, made significant contributions to the study of Islamic history and geography. His works, including "Akhbar Makkah" (Chronicles of Mecca), provide valuable insights into the early Islamic period and the holy city of Mecca.
In more recent times, Walid Jumblatt, a prominent Lebanese politician and leader of the Druze community, has been a notable figure bearing the name. He played a significant role in Lebanese politics throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
People
Walid + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Walid 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
Walid: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Walid?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 963 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Walid 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 355,924 US residents.
Is Walid a common name?
We classify Walid as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 982 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Walid most popular?
The single biggest year for Walid was 2017, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Walid is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Walid a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Walid 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.
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.