Karim
Karim was the 1084th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 198 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 707th with 376 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 7 places. More babies were named Karim in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kareem) noble, generous (Arabic) · Arabic
- Rank in 2025
- #1,084 boys, down 84 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 198boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2023376 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,944babies recorded
What does the name Karim mean?
Karim is a spelling of Kareem, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kareem's meaning and origin.
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)
Karim popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 58 since 1970.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,084 | 198 |
| 2020 | #1,000 | 212 |
| 2010 | #1,181 | 153 |
| 2000 | #1,377 | 92 |
| 1990 | #1,258 | 78 |
| 1980 | #1,041 | 76 |
| 1970 | #1,875 | 23 |
| 1960 | #2,971 | 9 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Karim, counting every spelling?
Karim is a spelling of Kareem, a name family that ranked #512 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,084 for Karim 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 Karim?
198 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Karim (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Karim 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 42 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Karim.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Karim?
About 6,700 people born in the US named Karim are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 7 and 31. That makes Karim 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.
Karim by state
How common Karim was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.3×), California (1.8×), Illinois (1.7×), Texas (1.7×). 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 Karim: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Karim, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Karim
What does Karim mean?
Karim is a spelling of Kareem, which means “noble, generous (Arabic)” (Arabic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Karim?
Karim was the 1084th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 198 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 707th with 376 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 7 places. More babies were named Karim in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Karim a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Karim in the US.
Where is Karim most popular?
In 2021–2025, Karim was most common in Arizona (0.38 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and Illinois.