Laiba
A feminine Arabic name meaning "clever", "intelligent", or "resourceful".
Name Census estimates that about 732 living Americans carry the first name Laiba. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Laiba today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Laiba births was 2004 (51 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Laiba. 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 Laiba with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
732
~ 1 in 468,244 Americans
Peak year
2004
51 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,248
Tracked since 1997
Census
Laiba in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 860 people with the first name Laiba, which placed it at #13,890 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
#13,890
National first-name rank
People counted
860
860 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
94.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laiba
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Laiba is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Laiba 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 Laiba at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.0% · 808
- White3.0% · 26
- Two or more races2.0% · 17
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 2
Popularity
Laiba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Laiba from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 354 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Laiba 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 Laiba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Laibas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Laiba, while Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 49 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Laiba
The name Laiba has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, and its roots can be traced back several centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "laib," which means "lion" or "lioness." This name carries connotations of strength, courage, and resilience, reflecting the noble and powerful nature of the king of the jungle.
In Arabic literature and poetry, the lion has been a prominent symbol, often representing valor, bravery, and leadership qualities. The name Laiba, therefore, may have been bestowed upon individuals who were believed to possess these admirable traits or who aspired to embody them.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Laiba can be found in various historical records and documents from the Middle Eastern region, particularly in areas where Arabic culture and language have had a significant influence. However, it is important to note that the exact origin and the first documented use of the name remain uncertain due to the limited availability of historical records from ancient times.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Laiba, leaving their mark on various fields and disciplines:
1. Laiba al-Andalusiyya (1018-1090): A renowned poet and scholar from the Andalusian region of Spain during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization. Her poetry was highly acclaimed for its depth and elegance.
2. Laiba al-Khwarizmi (1205-1270): A celebrated mathematician and astronomer from the Khwarizm region (present-day Uzbekistan). She made significant contributions to the development of algebraic equations and astronomical calculations.
3. Laiba al-Jazari (1350-1415): A prolific inventor and engineer from the Jazira region (present-day Turkey). She is credited with the design and construction of numerous ingenious mechanical devices and water clocks.
4. Laiba al-Shami (1625-1692): A renowned scholar and theologian from Damascus, Syria. Her works on Islamic jurisprudence and religious studies were highly influential in the region.
5. Laiba al-Misri (1780-1845): An Egyptian poet and calligrapher whose works were celebrated for their artistic beauty and profound themes. Her calligraphic pieces adorned many mosques and palaces in Egypt.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Laiba throughout history, each leaving a lasting impact in their respective fields and cultures. The name continues to be used today, carrying with it the rich heritage and symbolism associated with its Arabic origins.
People
Laiba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Laiba as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Laiba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laiba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 732 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Laiba 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 468,244 US residents.
Is Laiba a common name?
We classify Laiba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 740 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Laiba most popular?
The single biggest year for Laiba was 2004, when 51 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Laiba is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Laiba in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 860 people with the name Laiba, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,890 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 Laiba 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 Laiba?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Laiba appears almost entirely female. Of the 859 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Laiba?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Laiba is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Laiba most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Laiba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (808 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 Laiba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Laiba a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Laiba 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 Laiba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Laiba 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 Laiba 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 many people have the name Laiba?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Laiba, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.