Hiyab
An Arabic name meaning concealment or veil.
Name Census estimates that about 270 living Americans carry the first name Hiyab. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Hiyab today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hiyab births was 2016 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hiyab. 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 Hiyab with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
270
~ 1 in 1,269,461 Americans
Peak year
2016
31 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,713
Tracked since 2008
Gender
Gender distribution for Hiyab
Hiyab is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 272 total registrations, 63 (23.2%) were male and 209 (76.8%) were female.
Hiyab as a male name
- Ranked #12,950 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (8 births)
Hiyab as a female name
- Ranked #7,713 in 2024
- 14 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (23 births)
Popularity
Hiyab: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hiyab 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 164 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hiyab remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hiyab 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 Hiyab during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hiyabs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hiyab
The name Hiyab is a relatively uncommon given name that is believed to have originated in the Arabic language. Its roots can be traced back to the word "hijab," which means "veil" or "partition" in Arabic. This name likely first emerged during the early days of Islam, when veiling practices became widely adopted among Muslim women.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hiyab can be found in medieval Arabic literature, where it was sometimes used as a symbolic name to represent the concept of modesty and virtue. However, it is difficult to pinpoint specific historical figures who bore this name during that era, as record-keeping practices were not as meticulous as they are today.
The name Hiyab gained more prominence in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in regions with significant Muslim populations. One notable figure who carried this name was Hiyab Al-Muhanna (1884-1962), a Kuwaiti poet and writer who was known for her contributions to Arabic literature and her advocacy for women's education.
Another notable bearer of the name Hiyab was Hiyab Abdulrahman (1922-2002), a Sudanese politician and women's rights activist. She played a crucial role in the Sudanese women's movement and served as the first female minister in Sudan's government.
In the realm of literature, Hiyab Al-Fakhri (1923-2011) was a renowned Iraqi novelist and short story writer. Her works often explored themes of identity, tradition, and the challenges faced by women in contemporary Arab society.
Moving to the field of science, Hiyab Khalil (1932-2018) was a Palestinian-American physicist and academic. She made significant contributions to the study of nuclear physics and served as a professor at various prestigious universities in the United States.
Lastly, Hiyab Al-Jawhari (1940-2018) was a notable Egyptian actress and singer. She appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career and was known for her powerful vocal abilities and stage presence.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the name Hiyab throughout history, each making their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of their respective cultures.
People
Hiyab + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hiyab 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
Hiyab: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hiyab?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 270 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hiyab 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 1,269,461 US residents.
Is Hiyab a common name?
We classify Hiyab as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 272 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hiyab most popular?
The single biggest year for Hiyab was 2016, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hiyab 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 Hiyab in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hiyab a female name?
Yes, 76.8% of people registered as Hiyab 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 Hiyab still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hiyab 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 Hiyab 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 Hiyab?
See how many people share the name Hiyab on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.