Hamza
Hamza was the 541st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 556 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 527th with 565 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 75 places. More babies were named Hamza in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning lion; strong (Arabic) · Arabic
Say it HAM-zuh /ˈhæmzə/
- Rank in 2025
- #541 boys, up 119 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 556boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024565 babies
- Total since 1880
- 10,573babies recorded
What does the name Hamza mean?
Hamza is an Arabic name best known through Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, a companion (sahabi) of the prophet Muhammad. Wiktionary derives it from the Arabic noun ḥamza, lion, from the root ḥ-m-z. Wiktionary also records Hamza as an Arabic surname. In Arabic the first sound is a breathy h made deep in the throat, which English speakers usually replace with an ordinary h. In the US it has been used as a boys' name since the 1970s.
حَمْزَة (Arabic, “lion (per Wiktionary)”)ح م ز (Arabic, “root”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary glosses it 'lion'; this is not confirmed by an edited Arabic dictionary here.
Related names: Hamzah, Hamze.
See also: Arabic names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Hamza' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'حمزة' (Arabic section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Hamza popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #541 | 556 |
| 2020 | #660 | 398 |
| 2010 | #758 | 297 |
| 2000 | #796 | 203 |
| 1990 | #2,276 | 31 |
| 1980 | #5,148 | 7 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Hamza, counting every spelling?
Hamza is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #500 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #541 for Hamza on its own. Together these spellings went to 601 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamza | 556 | #541 | 2,537 |
| Hamzah | 45 | #2,812 | 219 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Hamza?
556 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Hamza (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Hamza born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Hamza.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Hamza?
About 10,400 people born in the US named Hamza are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 6 and 20. That makes Hamza a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Hamza by state
How common Hamza was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (4.5×), Virginia (2.5×), New York (2.5×), Illinois (2.2×), New Jersey (2.1×). In 24 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Hamza: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Hamza, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Hamza · Sibling names for Hamza
Questions about the name Hamza
What does Hamza mean?
Hamza means “lion; strong (Arabic)” (Arabic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Hamza?
Hamza was the 541st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 556 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 527th with 565 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 75 places. More babies were named Hamza in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Hamza a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Hamza in the US.
Where is Hamza most popular?
In 2021–2025, Hamza was most common in Minnesota (1.32 per 1,000 boys), followed by Virginia and New York.