Hadija
An Arabic feminine name meaning "guide" or "leader".
Name Census estimates that about 92 living Americans carry the first name Hadija. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hadija today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hadija births was 2019 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hadija. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Hadija with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hadija. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
92
~ 1 in 3,725,591 Americans
Peak year
2019
13 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,530
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Hadija: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hadija from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 45 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hadija 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 Hadija during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hadijas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hadija
The name Hadija has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is a feminine name derived from the root word "hady," which means "guidance" or "to guide." The name is closely associated with the Islamic faith and tradition.
In Islamic history, Hadija was the name of the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad. She was a wealthy and influential businesswoman in Mecca, and her marriage to Muhammad in 595 CE played a pivotal role in the early spread of Islam. Hadija was the first person to accept Muhammad's teachings and is revered as a significant figure in Islamic history.
The name Hadija can also be found in various ancient Arabic texts and literary works, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural significance. It has been used as a name for women throughout the centuries in the Middle East, North Africa, and other regions with significant Muslim populations.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Hadija was Hadija al-Qurashiyya, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a prominent scholar of Islamic jurisprudence. She lived in the 7th century CE and played a crucial role in transmitting the teachings of the Prophet.
Another notable historical figure with the name Hadija was Hadija Bint Abi Bakr, who lived in the 7th century CE. She was the daughter of Abu Bakr, one of the closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Caliph of the Islamic empire.
In the 12th century, Hadija al-Mahdawiyya was a renowned Sufi mystic and poet from Tunisia. Her spiritual teachings and literary works have had a lasting impact on Islamic mysticism and literature.
During the Ottoman Empire, Hadija Sultan was a prominent figure in the 16th century. She was the daughter of Sultan Selim I and played an influential role in the imperial court as a patron of the arts and architecture.
In more recent history, Hadija Lallji was a Tanzanian activist and politician who fought for women's rights and education in the 20th century. She was a member of the Tanzanian parliament and worked tirelessly to empower women in her country.
People
Hadija + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hadija as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hadija: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hadija?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 92 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hadija 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 3,725,591 US residents.
Is Hadija a common name?
We classify Hadija as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 93 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hadija most popular?
The single biggest year for Hadija was 2019, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hadija 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 Hadija in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hadija a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hadija in the SSA data are female. 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 Hadija still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hadija 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 Hadija 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 Hadija?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Hadija at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.