Fun Facts About the Name Aleem
- 564 babies named Aleem: U.S. records list 564 babies given the name Aleem from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Aleem Mean?
Aleem is an Arabic given name, usually written ʿAlīm (عليم) in Arabic script. It comes from the root ʿ-l-m, the root of the verb ʿalima, "to know." The name is an adjective built on the intensive pattern faʿīl, giving the sense "knowing, learned, well-informed." In English it is most often rendered as "learned" or "knowledgeable."
The same root gives ʿilm ("knowledge") and ʿālim ("one who knows," also the word for a religious scholar, whose plural is ʿulamāʾ). The form ʿalīm is more emphatic than ʿālim. In Islamic tradition al-ʿAlīm, "the All-Knowing," is one of the names of God, and the personal name is understood against that background rather than as a separate symbolic invention.
"Aleem" is one of several transliterations; Alim, ʿAleem, and Aalim also appear. The feminine form is ʿAlīmah (Aleema). The name is also used as the second element of a compound, as in ʿAbd al-ʿAlīm, "servant of the All-Knowing."
Aleem Name History & Origins
Personal names taken from the adjectives used of God in the Qur'an are an old and widespread type in Arabic, and the name ʿAlīm belongs to that group. It appears both on its own and inside the compound ʿAbd al-ʿAlīm, in which the divine attribute is prefixed by ʿabd, "servant."
As Islam spread beyond Arabic-speaking regions, the name was adopted in the languages of the new Muslim communities. In Arabic it is normally ʿAlīm; in Persian and Turkish it appears as Alim; in Urdu and other South Asian languages the spelling Aleem is common, and the name is widely used among Muslims in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, often in the compound form Abdul Aleem.
The name is distinct from the similar-sounding ʿAlī (Ali), which comes from a different root, ʿ-l-w, meaning "high" or "exalted." The two are sometimes confused in English because both are transliterated with an initial "Al-" and both are common in the same regions.
How Popular is the Name Aleem?
Aleem has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2014. Its best rank was #3,074 in 1985.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,276 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #9,907 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #9,792 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #6,160 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #6,036 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #4,701 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2019 | #5,163 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #5,326 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #5,805 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #5,324 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #5,065 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #4,392 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2013 | #5,173 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #6,010 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #7,027 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #10,820 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #4,583 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #5,072 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2007 | #6,277 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #8,753 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #6,538 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #6,271 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #8,480 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #6,459 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #5,050 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #6,542 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #6,336 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #4,249 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #4,892 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #5,938 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #4,294 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #5,010 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #5,249 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #5,529 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #5,839 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #5,175 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #6,442 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #3,734 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #6,750 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #3,074 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #4,564 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #4,928 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #5,022 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #4,971 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #3,258 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #4,420 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #4,566 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #3,612 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #5,242 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Aleem Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Aleem's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Aleem's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.