Yaheem
An Arabic masculine name meaning "high and generous".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Yaheem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yaheem today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yaheem births was 2018 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yaheem. 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 Yaheem. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2018
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#14,000
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Yaheem: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Yaheem 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 Yaheem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Yaheem
The name Yaheem is believed to have its origins in ancient Semitic languages, particularly Hebrew and Arabic. It is derived from the root word "HYM," which means "life" or "alive." The name is thought to have emerged during the early centuries of the Common Era, when the Semitic cultures flourished in the Middle East.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yaheem can be found in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism. The Talmud mentions a Rabbi Yaheem ben Yehoshua, who lived in the 2nd century CE and was renowned for his teachings and wisdom. This historical reference suggests that the name was in use among Jewish communities during that period.
In the Islamic tradition, the name Yaheem is associated with the Arabic word "hayim," which also means "life." It is believed that the name gained popularity among Arab populations after the rise of Islam in the 7th century CE. Some Islamic scholars have interpreted the name as a reference to the enduring nature of the soul or the eternal life promised to the faithful.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Yaheem was Yaheem al-Barmaki, a prominent Persian vizier who served under the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century CE. He was renowned for his wisdom, administrative skills, and patronage of scholars and artists.
Another notable figure in history was Yaheem ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, a renowned Islamic scholar and hadith compiler who lived in the 9th century CE. His work, known as Sahih al-Bukhari, is considered one of the most authentic collections of the sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.
In the medieval period, the name Yaheem gained popularity in various regions of the Middle East and North Africa. One notable figure was Yaheem al-Ghazali, a renowned Islamic philosopher, theologian, and mystic who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries CE. His works, such as "The Incoherence of the Philosophers" and "The Revival of the Religious Sciences," had a profound impact on Islamic thought and spirituality.
In more recent times, the name Yaheem has been carried by several influential figures, such as Yaheem Youssef Qudsi, an Egyptian writer and intellectual who lived in the 19th century and played a significant role in the Arab Renaissance (Nahda) movement.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have borne the name Yaheem throughout the centuries, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and significance across various regions and traditions.
People
Yaheem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yaheem as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yaheem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yaheem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yaheem 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 Yaheem a common name?
We classify Yaheem 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 Yaheem most popular?
The single biggest year for Yaheem was 2018, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yaheem is about 8 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 Yaheem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yaheem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yaheem 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 Yaheem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yaheem 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 Yaheem 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 the name Yaheem?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Yaheem, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.