Kareem

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Boy · Arabic

Kareem

Say it: kah-REEM

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Arabic karīm 'generous, noble'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Its wave through time

Popular now

In the United States

16,330 babies given this name since 1964
At its height in 1977, about 1 in 3,700 boys
416 babies in 2020

Through the ages

The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

African American

The family of the name

Other spellings: Karim

Arabic	Karīm

Famous bearers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball player

Names worth a look

DeShawnBoyA modern African American coinage combining the prefix De- with Shawn, from Irish Seán (John).Modern · peak 1994 · forgotten

RashadBoyFrom Arabic rashād 'right guidance, good sense'.Modern · peak 1989

KyrieBoyFrom Greek kyrie 'O Lord', the vocative of kyrios, known from the liturgical Kyrie eleison.Modern · peak 2017

MessiahBoyFrom Hebrew mashiach 'anointed'.Modern · peak 2020

NehemiahBoyHebrew Neḥemyah, 'YHWH comforts'.Biblical · peak 2013

KobeBoyFrom the Japanese city of Kobe, whose name is written with characters meaning 'god' and 'door'; Kobe Bryant was…Modern · peak 2020

CarmenGirlFrom Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Hebrew karmel 'garden, orchard'); the form was influenced…Colonial · peak 1968

CarmelaGirlFrom Our Lady of Mount Carmel; Hebrew karmel means 'garden, orchard'.Victorian · peak 1911 · forgotten

Where this comes from

United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.