Hisham
A masculine Arabic given name meaning "generous" or "noble".
Name Census estimates that about 884 living Americans carry the first name Hisham. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hisham today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hisham births was 2016 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hisham. 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 Hisham with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
884
~ 1 in 387,731 Americans
Peak year
2016
39 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,909
Tracked since 1970
Census
Hisham in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,768 people with the first name Hisham, which placed it at #8,244 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,244
National first-name rank
People counted
1.8K
1,768 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hisham
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hisham is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.2%) and Black (7.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hisham described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hisham at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.1% · 1,274
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.2% · 216
- Black or African American7.8% · 138
- Two or more races5.8% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Hisham: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hisham from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 253 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hisham remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hisham 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 Hisham during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hishams live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Hisham, while Michigan, Florida, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hisham
The name Hisham is derived from Arabic and has its origins in the Middle East. It is believed to have emerged during the 7th century AD, shortly after the advent of Islam. The name is thought to be derived from the Arabic root word "hashama," which means "to speak harshly" or "to criticize."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hisham can be found in the Quran, where it is mentioned as the name of a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. This companion, Hisham ibn al-Walid, played a significant role in the early Muslim community and was known for his bravery and loyalty.
The name Hisham gained further prominence in the 8th century AD, when it was adopted by the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (691-743 AD). Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik was the 10th caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate and is remembered for his successful military campaigns and administrative reforms.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Hisham was the Arab philosopher and historian Hisham ibn al-Kalbi (737-819 AD). He was a prominent scholar of his time and wrote extensively on topics such as genealogy, history, and literature.
In the realm of literature, the name Hisham is associated with Hisham al-Kulayb (8th century AD), a renowned Arab poet and writer. His works were highly regarded and celebrated for their linguistic mastery and poetic expression.
During the 12th century AD, the name Hisham was carried by Hisham al-Mu'taman ibn Hud (1083-1153 AD), the ruler of the Taifa of Zaragoza in present-day Spain. He was known for his patronage of the arts and his efforts to promote cultural exchange between Muslim and Christian communities.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Hisham throughout history. The name has maintained its popularity across the Arab world and has been adopted by people of various cultures and backgrounds, reflecting its rich heritage and significance.
People
Hisham + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hisham 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
Hisham: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hisham?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 884 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hisham 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 387,731 US residents.
Is Hisham a common name?
We classify Hisham as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 902 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hisham most popular?
The single biggest year for Hisham was 2016, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hisham is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hisham in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,768 people with the name Hisham, or 0.59 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,244 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hisham in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hisham?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Hisham appears almost entirely male. Of the 1,769 people counted with this name, 99.7% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hisham?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hisham is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.2%) and Black (7.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hisham most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Hisham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (1,274 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Hisham in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hisham a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hisham 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 Hisham still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hisham 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 Hisham 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.
How common is the name Hisham?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.