Islam
Masculine · “submission”
Islam is given to both — 689 boys and 128 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Islam is the Arabic word for submission — specifically the act of giving oneself over, from the same root as the word for peace.
How old is the name Islam?
Islam first appears in US birth records in 1975 — 50 years ago. The typical Islam alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 700 people named Islam are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Islam most popular?
Islam peaked in 1990, reaching #2865 nationally. Today it ranks #4139, 1,274 places below that high. See the whole 1990 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Islam
The root s-l-m produces the Arabic words for peace, safety, wholeness and submission together, and the connection is theological rather than accidental: the tradition holds that peace follows from submission. It is used as a personal name across the Muslim world, particularly in Egypt, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and reaches American records with families from those regions.
Meaning
submission, surrender to God
From an Arabic root meaning to be whole, safe or at peace; the fourth form of the verb gives islam, the act of submitting. Salam, peace, and muslim, one who submits, are from the same three letters.
Pronouncing Islam
iss-LAAM
Two syllables with the stress on the long second. Americans say IZ-lum.
Nicknames for Islam
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
- 1975
- Most boys named
- 202433 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2865reached in 1990
- Change vs 2024
- −24.2%25 in 2025, from 33
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.
Islam in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Islam in Arabic — same name
- İslam in Turkish — same name
- Islam in Chechen — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, California, Illinois.
Islams among us
people named Islam are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 68,323 born in 2025 was named Islam
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 Marzell test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Islam's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Marzell climbed just as high around 1931, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Marzell's path sketches the road Islam is walking now.
Islam 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 Islam is headed
Islam looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 36% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Islam beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Islam in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a genuinely tight connection to the word for peace.
- Five letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- Recognized everywhere in the world without any explanation.
- It names a whole religion, which is a very large thing for one person to carry.
- The American pronunciation differs from the Arabic at almost every sound.
- In some settings the name will attract comment it did not invite.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Islam to the vote.
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What they receive
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Islam
Masculine · #4139 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Islams are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Islam are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Islam in 2025?
- Islam ranks #4139 among US boy names in 2025, with 25 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Islam?
- About 1 in every 68,323 US boys born in 2025 was named Islam — 25 in all.
- Will my child share the name Islam with classmates?
- Islam will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Islam
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Mose#4139 · Lucious#4139 · Karsten#4139 · Nikita#4139 · Hasani#4139 · Jomar#4139 · Fionn#4139 · Earnest#4139
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Islam? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Islam and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
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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