Yousuf
A masculine Arabic name meaning "he will increase" or "he upon whom increase is bestowed".
Name Census estimates that about 1,647 living Americans carry the first name Yousuf. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yousuf today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yousuf births was 2022 (101 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yousuf. 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
- • Yousuf is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 208,108 Americans
Peak year
2022
101 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,802
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Yousuf: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yousuf from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 712 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Yousuf remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yousuf 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 Yousuf during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yousufs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Yousuf, while Pennsylvania, Washington, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 68 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Yousuf
The name Yousuf is derived from the Arabic name Yusuf, which has its origins in the Hebrew name Yosef. The name Yosef is believed to be derived from the Hebrew root word "yasaf," which means "to add" or "to increase." It is a name that has been used for centuries in various cultures and regions, particularly in the Middle East and among followers of the Abrahamic faiths.
One of the earliest and most notable references to the name Yousuf can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quran, Yousuf (Joseph) is a prominent figure, and his story is recounted in detail in the 12th chapter, known as Surat Yusuf. This chapter narrates the life of the Prophet Yousuf and his trials and triumphs, making him a significant figure in Islamic tradition.
The name Yousuf also appears in the Bible, where it is rendered as Joseph. In the Old Testament, Joseph is the son of Jacob and Rachel, and his story is told in the Book of Genesis. He is depicted as a dreamer and interpreter of dreams, and his life is marked by adversity, betrayal, and eventual triumph. Joseph's story is a testament to faith, perseverance, and divine providence.
Throughout history, there have been many notable figures who bore the name Yousuf or its variants. One of the earliest recorded examples is Yusuf ibn Tashfin (1009-1106), the Berber ruler of the Almoravid dynasty who consolidated power in North Africa and parts of Spain. Another famous bearer of the name was Yusuf Salah al-Din (1137-1193), better known as Saladin, the Kurdish Muslim sultan who led the Islamic forces against the Crusaders and recaptured Jerusalem in 1187.
In the arts and literature, Yousuf has been a prominent name as well. The 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi wrote a famous epic poem titled "Khosrow and Shirin," in which one of the main characters is named Yousuf. In the 19th century, the Egyptian writer and scholar Yousuf al-Sharouni (1825-1889) made significant contributions to the Arabic literary renaissance.
Other notable figures with the name Yousuf include Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002), the Armenian-Canadian photographer renowned for his portraits of notable figures like Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein, and Yousuf Raza Gillani (born 1952), the former Prime Minister of Pakistan who served from 2008 to 2012.
The name Yousuf has endured through the centuries, carrying with it a rich historical and cultural significance. Its origins in the Abrahamic faiths and its presence in various literary and historical works have contributed to its enduring popularity across different regions and cultures.
People
Yousuf + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yousuf 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
Yousuf: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yousuf?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,647 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yousuf 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 208,108 US residents.
Is Yousuf a common name?
We classify Yousuf as "Rare". It ranks above 92.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,664 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yousuf most popular?
The single biggest year for Yousuf was 2022, when 101 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yousuf is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yousuf a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yousuf 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.