Kareem
- Last seen for girls in 2013 at #16,547
- #701 for boys in 2025, 383 births
- Given to boys 98.9% of the time
- Around 1971: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar takes his name
Showing
- Peak · boys
- 1977 · 449 births
- Debut · boys
- 8 births
- In top 100 · boys
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 18,161since 1964
Kareem over time
boys
Rank among boys' names. Kareem has never cracked the top 300 here.
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | — | #701 | 383 | |
| 2024 | — | #675 | 405 | |
| 2023 | — | #628 | 442 | |
| 2022 | — | #670 | 407 | |
| 2021 | — | #696 | 382 | |
| 2020 | — | #638 | 419 | |
| 2019 | — | #672 | 386 | |
| 2018 | — | #696 | 347 | |
| 2017 | — | #700 | 352 | |
| 2016 | — | #708 | 345 | |
| 2015 | — | #731 | 334 | |
| 2014 | — | #751 | 315 | |
| 2013 | #16,547 | 5 | #682 | 352 |
| 2012 | — | #743 | 311 | |
| 2011 | — | #740 | 306 | |
| 2010 | — | #698 | 334 | |
| 2009 | — | #740 | 314 | |
| 2008 | — | #739 | 309 | |
| 2007 | — | #730 | 314 | |
| 2006 | — | #714 | 303 | |
| 2005 | — | #700 | 294 | |
| 2004 | — | #618 | 346 | |
| 2003 | — | #662 | 299 | |
| 2002 | — | #622 | 316 | |
| 2001 | — | #606 | 324 | |
| 2000 | #15,031 | 5 | #620 | 303 |
| 1999 | — | #609 | 300 | |
| 1998 | — | #595 | 313 | |
| 1997 | — | #599 | 295 | |
| 1996 | — | #596 | 301 | |
| 1995 | — | #600 | 293 | |
| 1994 | #11,778 | 6 | #542 | 357 |
| 1993 | — | #576 | 317 | |
| 1992 | #13,317 | 5 | #548 | 348 |
| 1991 | — | #558 | 332 | |
| 1990 | #12,958 | 5 | #573 | 312 |
| 1989 | — | #561 | 298 | |
| 1988 | — | #538 | 289 | |
| 1987 | #8,778 | 7 | #526 | 292 |
| 1986 | — | #557 | 254 | |
| 1985 | #10,677 | 5 | #522 | 279 |
| 1984 | #9,144 | 6 | #551 | 246 |
| 1983 | #8,047 | 7 | #473 | 313 |
| 1982 | — | #473 | 319 | |
| 1981 | #8,128 | 7 | #467 | 317 |
| 1980 | #3,719 | 21 | #373 | 459 |
| 1979 | #4,842 | 14 | #422 | 358 |
| 1978 | #4,459 | 15 | #408 | 361 |
| 1977 | #5,213 | 12 | #367 | 449 |
| 1976 | #4,363 | 14 | #398 | 380 |
| 1975 | #3,950 | 16 | #379 | 417 |
| 1974 | #4,459 | 13 | #438 | 326 |
| 1973 | #4,586 | 12 | #501 | 242 |
| 1972 | #2,903 | 23 | #405 | 378 |
| 1971 | — | #1,254 | 44 | |
| 1970 | — | #2,739 | 12 | |
| 1969 | — | — | ||
| 1968 | — | — | ||
| 1967 | — | #3,966 | 5 | |
| 1966 | — | #3,948 | 5 | |
| 1965 | — | — | ||
| 1964 | — | #3,050 | 8 | |
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First appearance
1964
The first year at least five boys were named Kareem! It came in at #3,050, and was given to 8 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1965–1969, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.
Where Kareem is popular in 2025
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
Top states · boys
- Michigan#330 · 1 in 1,489
- Illinois#375 · 1 in 1,770
- New Jersey#396 · 1 in 1,988
- Maryland#516 · 1 in 2,544
- Georgia#566 · 1 in 2,790
Best ever in a state: #102 in New Jersey, 1980.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | #330 | 27 | 1 in 1,489 |
| Illinois | #375 | 28 | 1 in 1,770 |
| New Jersey | #396 | 20 | 1 in 1,988 |
| Maryland | #516 | 9 | 1 in 2,544 |
| Georgia | #566 | 18 | 1 in 2,790 |
| Ohio | #577 | 17 | 1 in 3,090 |
| Florida | #585 | 29 | 1 in 3,294 |
| Louisiana | #591 | 7 | 1 in 2,733 |
| Missouri | #597 | 9 | 1 in 3,090 |
| Alabama | #622 | 7 | 1 in 3,074 |
| Kentucky | #625 | 6 | 1 in 3,423 |
| Virginia | #627 | 11 | 1 in 3,387 |
| North Carolina | #645 | 14 | 1 in 3,676 |
| Pennsylvania | #662 | 13 | 1 in 4,020 |
| Indiana | #668 | 9 | 1 in 3,518 |
| California | #683 | 40 | 1 in 4,387 |
| Arizona | #720 | 8 | 1 in 4,090 |
| New York | #745 | 19 | 1 in 4,443 |
| Colorado | #756 | 6 | 1 in 4,475 |
| Texas | #953 | 25 | 1 in 7,002 |
| Tennessee | #1,040 | 5 | 1 in 7,354 |
| Alaska | — | — | — |
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Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Kareem
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
- 63 spots since 2020 (#638 → #701)
- 30 spots since 2015 (#731 → #701)
- Biggest jump: 849 spots in 1972
- Biggest drop: 96 spots in 1973
Rise & fade · boys
13 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1964
- Peaked 1977 at #367 (449 births)
- Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 54 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 54 yrs · run 1972–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 3,660
- Highest: 1 in 3,660 boys born in 1977 were named Kareem (0.03%)
- Latest: 1 in 4,460 boys born in 2025 (0.02%)
Era · boys
The 2010s
- 18.6% of all boys named Kareem (3,382) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18 | #3,050 (1964) | #3,655 |
| 1970s | 2,967 | #367 (1977) | #731 |
| 1980s | 3,066 | #373 (1980) | #504 |
| 1990s | 3,168 | #542 (1994) | #580 |
| 2000s | 3,122 | #606 (2001) | #675 |
| 2010s | 3,382 | #672 (2019) | #712 |
| 2020s | 2,438 | #628 (2023) | #668 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Want to check a specific year?
See where Kareem ranked and which names it was up against. Click a point on the chart, or pick a year: