Hussain
Masculine · “handsome”
Hussain is little handsome one — a diminutive of hasan, itself already a compliment — and it belonged to the Prophet's grandson, killed at Karbala.
How old is the name Hussain?
Hussain first appears in US birth records in 1978 — 47 years ago. The typical Hussain is a kid of about 11 — this name's wave is very recent. About 2,000 people named Hussain are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hussain most popular?
Hussain peaked in 2018, reaching #1625 nationally. Today it ranks #1942, 317 places below that high. See the whole 2018 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From hasan to Hussain
The story of Hussain
Husayn ibn Ali was killed with his companions at Karbala in 680 refusing to acknowledge the Umayyad caliph; the event is commemorated at Ashura and is the central narrative of Shia Islam. Hussain is the standard South Asian spelling, and South Asian emigration brought it to America, where it is in current use.
Meaning
handsome, good
From the Arabic husayn, a diminutive of hasan, 'good' or 'handsome'. The diminutive is affectionate rather than belittling; Arabic uses it that way. The word is ordinary Arabic and the meaning undisputed. Hussain is the South Asian transliteration.
How the name formed
- hasan
- husayn
- Hussain
Related forms: حسين · Hussein · Hussain · Hüseyin
Pronouncing Hussain
hoo-SAYN
Two syllables, stress on the second. Arabic gives the h a fuller breath than English does.
Nicknames for Hussain
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1978
- Most boys named
- 2024101 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1625reached in 2018
- Change vs 2024
- −21.8%79 in 2025, from 101
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Hussain in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- حسين in Arabic — transliteration
- Hussein in English — spelling variant
- Hussain in Urdu — same name
- Hüseyin in Turkish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, Texas, Michigan.
Hussains among us
people named Hussain are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 21,621 born in 2025 was named Hussain
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Prescott test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Hussain's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Prescott climbed just as high around 1962, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Prescott's path sketches the road Hussain is walking now.
Hussain sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Hussain is headed
Hussain should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Hussain beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Hussain in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The handsome meaning is transparent and the affectionate diminutive is a good detail.
- The Karbala narrative is among the most consequential events in Islamic history.
- It is used across Arabic, Urdu, Persian and Turkish naming.
- Hussein is the commoner transliteration in Western records.
- Twentieth-century political associations are strong for some readers.
- It reads as specifically Muslim.
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Hussain
Masculine · #1942 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Hussains are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,000 people named Hussain are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hussain in 2025?
- Hussain ranks #1942 among US boy names in 2025, with 79 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Hussain?
- About 1 in every 21,621 US boys born in 2025 was named Hussain — 79 in all.
- Will my child share the name Hussain with classmates?
- Hussain will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Hussain
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Justus#1942 · Whit#1942 · Jasir#1942 · Journey#1942 · Maverik#1942 · Shaun#1942 · Shulem#1942 · Bowden#1942
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hussain? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Hussain and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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