Karim
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ka-REEM
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #609 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,084 for boys
Karim is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “generous, noble”. In 2025 it ranked 609th for boys in the UK (69 babies) and 1,084th for boys in the US (198 babies).
What does Karim mean?
Arabic: from Arabic karim
“generous, noble”
Another spelling of Kareem; al-Karim, the Most Generous, is one of the 99 names of God in Islam.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Karim a girl's or a boy's name?
Karim is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 69 boys in the UK and 198 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Karim in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 609th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 69 about 1 in 4,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 54% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 69 boys in the UK were named Karim, making it the 609th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 751st. Its busiest year was 2022, with 78 boys.
Half of all the boys named Karim in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2021. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 151 boys in the UK were given Karim or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #338, up from #609 for this spelling alone.
- Kareem 82
- Karim 69
Among boys in 2025, it was 585th in England and Wales and 762nd in Scotland.
Karim in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 69 | #609 |
| 2024 | 75 | #569 |
| 2023 | 65 | #623 |
| 2022 | 78 | #550 |
| 2021 | 59 | #681 |
| 2020 | 48 | #751 |
| 2019 | 37 | #889 |
| 2018 | 51 | #741 |
| 2017 | 37 | #919 |
| 2016 | 44 | #806 |
| 2015 | 59 | #662 |
| 2014 | 53 | #696 |
| 2013 | 40 | #843 |
| 2012 | 53 | #701 |
| 2011 | 43 | #801 |
| 2010 | 34 | #927 |
| 2009 | 35 | #882 |
| 2008 | 40 | #795 |
| 2007 | 44 | #710 |
| 2006 | 33 | #842 |
| 2005 | 40 | #720 |
| 2004 | 40 | #665 |
| 2003 | 22 | #953 |
| 2002 | 42 | #556 |
| 2001 | 38 | #567 |
| 2000 | 42 | #531 |
| 1999 | 31 | #633 |
| 1998 | 41 | #525 |
| 1997 | 40 | #522 |
| 1996 | 33 | #563 |
How popular is Karim in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,084th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 198 about 1 in 8,600 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 51% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 198 boys in the US were named Karim, making it the 1,084th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 999th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 376 boys. It first appears in the records in 1957.
Half of all the boys named Karim in the US since 1880 were born between 1993 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 594 boys in the US were given Karim or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #508, up from #1,084 for this spelling alone.
In 2011, 3% of the babies named Karim in the US were girls.
Karim in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 198 | #1,084 |
| 2024 | 305 | #819 |
| 2023 | 376 | #706 |
| 2022 | 328 | #771 |
| 2021 | 194 | #1,089 |
| 2020 | 212 | #999 |
| 2019 | 192 | #1,063 |
| 2018 | 180 | #1,092 |
| 2017 | 193 | #1,042 |
| 2016 | 236 | #911 |
| 2015 | 179 | #1,089 |
| 2014 | 180 | #1,074 |
| 2013 | 162 | #1,119 |
| 2012 | 155 | #1,172 |
| 2011 | 141 | #1,235 |
| 2010 | 153 | #1,179 |
| 2009 | 153 | #1,182 |
| 2008 | 131 | #1,325 |
| 2007 | 119 | #1,380 |
| 2006 | 131 | #1,273 |
| 2005 | 120 | #1,281 |
| 2004 | 131 | #1,181 |
| 2003 | 129 | #1,158 |
| 2002 | 122 | #1,158 |
| 2001 | 114 | #1,189 |
| 2000 | 92 | #1,367 |
| 1999 | 93 | #1,300 |
| 1998 | 98 | #1,234 |
| 1997 | 115 | #1,093 |
| 1996 | 80 | #1,345 |
| 1995 | 73 | #1,375 |
| 1994 | 68 | #1,417 |
| 1993 | 82 | #1,249 |
| 1992 | 73 | #1,316 |
| 1991 | 71 | #1,330 |
| 1990 | 78 | #1,247 |
| 1989 | 76 | #1,223 |
| 1988 | 72 | #1,186 |
| 1987 | 60 | #1,257 |
| 1986 | 49 | #1,418 |
| 1985 | 58 | #1,257 |
| 1984 | 66 | #1,109 |
| 1983 | 62 | #1,144 |
| 1982 | 57 | #1,228 |
| 1981 | 70 | #1,084 |
| 1980 | 76 | #1,038 |
| 1979 | 76 | #1,016 |
| 1978 | 96 | #877 |
| 1977 | 97 | #863 |
| 1976 | 93 | #866 |
| 1975 | 74 | #953 |
| 1974 | 39 | #1,370 |
| 1973 | 46 | #1,223 |
| 1972 | 46 | #1,210 |
| 1971 | 36 | #1,415 |
| 1970 | 23 | #1,846 |
| 1969 | 19 | #1,913 |
| 1968 | 13 | #2,310 |
| 1967 | 10 | #2,610 |
| 1966 | 17 | #1,890 |
| 1965 | 20 | #1,773 |
| 1964 | 10 | #2,664 |
| 1963 | 16 | #2,043 |
| 1962 | 12 | #2,363 |
| 1961 | 6 | #3,650 |
| 1960 | 9 | #2,869 |
| 1959 | 9 | #2,820 |
| 1958 | 10 | #2,640 |
| 1957 | 6 | #3,550 |
Names like Karim
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad, Ibrahim, Khalid, Ahmed, Hamza, Abdullah, Amir, Umar, Musa, Mustafa, Raheem, Hakeem
Other spellings of Karim
Names related to Karim
More Arabic names
Layla, Mohammed, Lyla, Mohammad, Zara, Aaliyah, Amira, Fatima, Ali, Yahya, Zayn, Aisha, Omar, Zahra, Kairo, Safa
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Karim: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/karim, updated 20 October 2026.