Naeemah
Feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "blissful" or "a blessing".
Name Census estimates that about 614 living Americans carry the first name Naeemah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Naeemah today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Naeemah births was 1974 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Naeemah. 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 Naeemah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
614
~ 1 in 558,232 Americans
Peak year
1974
23 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,853
Tracked since 1971
Census
Naeemah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 513 people with the first name Naeemah, which placed it at #20,216 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
#20,216
National first-name rank
People counted
513
513 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Naeemah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Naeemah is Black at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and White (5.8%). 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 Naeemah 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 Naeemah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.1% · 416
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 35
- White5.8% · 30
- Two or more races5.3% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 5
Popularity
Naeemah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Naeemah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 133 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Naeemah 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 Naeemah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Naeemahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, California recorded the most babies named Naeemah, while New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Naeemah
The name Naeemah has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. It is a feminine name derived from the Arabic word "na'eem," which means "blissful" or "delightful." The name is often associated with concepts of joy, happiness, and contentment.
In the Islamic tradition, the name Naeemah holds a significant place. It is mentioned in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as one of the names associated with Paradise or Jannah. The Quran describes Jannah as a place of eternal bliss and delight, resonating with the meaning of the name Naeemah.
The earliest recorded use of the name Naeemah can be found in various historical records and texts from the Middle East and the Arab world. It has been a popular name among Muslims for centuries, reflecting the cultural and religious significance it holds.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Naeemah. One of the earliest recorded examples is Naeemah bint Al-Harith (born in the 7th century CE), a prominent figure in early Islamic history who was known for her piety and knowledge.
Another famous Naeemah was Naeemah Al-Ansariya (born in the 8th century CE), a renowned scholar and poet from the city of Medina. Her works have been preserved and studied for their literary and intellectual merits.
In the modern era, Naeemah Kishwer (born in 1959) is a notable Pakistani novelist and screenwriter known for her contributions to Urdu literature and television dramas.
Naeemah Ismail (born in 1967) is a South African activist and politician who has been a prominent voice in the fight against apartheid and for human rights.
Naeemah Abrahams (born in 1992) is a South African professional boxer and multiple-time world champion in various weight classes, making her a celebrated figure in the world of sports.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Naeemah throughout history, each making their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human culture and achievement.
People
Naeemah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Naeemah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Naeemah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Naeemah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 614 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Naeemah 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 558,232 US residents.
Is Naeemah a common name?
We classify Naeemah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 641 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Naeemah most popular?
The single biggest year for Naeemah was 1974, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Naeemah is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Naeemah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 513 people with the name Naeemah, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,216 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 Naeemah 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 Naeemah?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Naeemah appears almost entirely female. Of the 515 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Naeemah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Naeemah is Black at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and White (5.8%). 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 Naeemah most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Naeemah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (416 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 Naeemah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Naeemah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Naeemah 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 Naeemah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Naeemah 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 Naeemah 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 share the name Naeemah?
You can see how many Americans are named Naeemah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.