Kareem
Kareem was the 702nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 383 babies. Its best year was 1977, when it ranked 367th; the most babies were born in 1980 (459). Over the last ten years it has moved up 30 places. More babies were named Kareem in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning noble, generous (Arabic) · Arabic
Say it kuh-REEM /kəˈrim/
- Rank in 2025
- #702 boys, down 63 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 383boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1980459 babies
- Total since 1880
- 18,359babies recorded
What does the name Kareem mean?
Kareem is a spelling of Karim, from Arabic karīm, noble or generous. Wiktionary's Arabic entry gives a wider range of senses: noble-minded, kind, gracious, honored, precious. Al-Karim, "the Generous," is one of the titles of God in Islam. The basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, born Lew Alcindor, is a famous bearer of this spelling, which has been used in the US since the 1960s.
كَرِيم (Arabic, “noble, generous, gracious”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Karim, Karima, Kerim.
See also: Arabic names, names that mean noble.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kareem' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'كريم' (Arabic section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Karim' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., biographical entry 'Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem', HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Kareem popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 198 since 1972.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #702 | 383 |
| 2020 | #639 | 419 |
| 2010 | #700 | 334 |
| 2000 | #620 | 303 |
| 1990 | #573 | 312 |
| 1980 | #373 | 459 |
| 1970 | #2,797 | 12 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kareem, counting every spelling?
Kareem is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #512 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #702 for Kareem on its own. Together these spellings went to 589 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kareem | 383 | #702 | 2,019 |
| Karim | 198 | #1,084 | 1,401 |
| Careem | 8 | #9,057 | 48 |
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 Kareem?
383 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kareem (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kareem 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 22 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kareem.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kareem?
About 17,500 people born in the US named Kareem are alive today, with a median age of 26; half are between 12 and 41. That makes Kareem mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Kareem by state
How common Kareem was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Michigan (2.8×), Illinois (1.9×), Maryland (1.9×), Virginia (1.8×), Mississippi (1.7×). In 18 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 Kareem: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kareem, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kareem · Sibling names for Kareem
Questions about the name Kareem
What does Kareem mean?
Kareem means “noble, generous (Arabic)” (Arabic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Kareem?
Kareem was the 702nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 383 babies. Its best year was 1977, when it ranked 367th; the most babies were born in 1980 (459). Over the last ten years it has moved up 30 places. More babies were named Kareem in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kareem a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kareem in the US.
Where is Kareem most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kareem was most common in Michigan (0.65 per 1,000 boys), followed by Illinois and Maryland.