Ghali
A masculine Arabic name meaning "majestic" or "exalted one".
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the first name Ghali. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ghali today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ghali births was 2024 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ghali. 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
120
~ 1 in 2,856,286 Americans
Peak year
2024
16 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,724
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Ghali: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ghali from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 65 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ghali remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ghali 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 Ghali 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 Ghali
The name Ghali has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, originating from the Arabic word "ghali," which means "precious" or "valuable." This name has been in use for centuries, dating back to the early days of Islam and the spread of Arabic culture throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Ghali is believed to have been derived from the Arabic root word "ghala," which means "to be expensive" or "to be precious." The name was often given to male children as a way of expressing the parents' hope and wish for their child to be highly valued and esteemed in society.
In Islamic history, the name Ghali has been recorded in various texts and historical documents. One notable mention is in the Qur'an, where the word "ghali" is used to describe Allah's greatness and the preciousness of His teachings.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Ghali can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic caliphate. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Ghali ibn Yasar al-Kalbi, a renowned Muslim scholar and historian who lived in the 8th century CE.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ghali:
1. Ghali al-Nahlawi (1247-1295 CE), a famous Sufi scholar and poet from Damascus, Syria.
2. Ghali ibn Ali al-Qayrawani (1009-1071 CE), a prominent Islamic jurist and scholar from Tunisia.
3. Ghali ibn Ahmad al-Qadiri (1078-1166 CE), a renowned Sufi mystic and founder of the Qadiri order of Sufism from Baghdad, Iraq.
4. Ghali ibn Abbas (1513-1567 CE), a famous Moroccan explorer and navigator who traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean region.
5. Ghali Mustapha Bey (1798-1868), a notable Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Tunisia in the mid-19th century.
These are just a few examples of the many historical figures who have carried the name Ghali, reflecting its significance and enduring presence throughout the centuries within Arabic and Islamic culture.
People
Ghali + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ghali as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ghali: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ghali?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 120 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ghali 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 2,856,286 US residents.
Is Ghali a common name?
We classify Ghali as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 121 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ghali most popular?
The single biggest year for Ghali was 2024, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ghali is about 9 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 Ghali in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ghali a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ghali 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 Ghali still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ghali 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 Ghali 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 Americans are named Ghali?
See how many people have the name Ghali on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.