Fun Facts About the Name Arish
- 346 babies named Arish: U.S. records list 346 babies given the name Arish from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Arish Mean?
Arish is usually explained through the Arabic noun ʿarīsh (عريش), which names a light shelter or booth - a frame of wood or palm fronds roofed over to give shade, in effect an arbor. Taken from that word, the literal sense is "shelter" or "arbor." The same noun underlies the name of Al-ʿArīsh, the town on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt's Sinai, whose name is generally understood to refer to such a palm-branch shelter. Popular name lists sometimes give meanings like "first ray of sunlight," "bright," or "righteous," but these look like later symbolic readings; they are not supported by the Arabic word ʿarīsh itself. Whether every modern use of Arish goes back to the Arabic noun is not documented, so the meaning outside that derivation is uncertain.
Arish Name History & Origins
Arish is used as a personal name mainly in South Asia, in India and Pakistan, and also in Arabic-speaking countries. Its most likely source is the Arabic word ʿarīsh, a shelter of branches or palm fronds, a term that also became a place name. Al-ʿArīsh in northern Sinai was a caravan stop on the coastal route between Egypt and Palestine, and the town's name is commonly explained as referring to just such a shelter, which is how the word became widely familiar.
In Persian-speaking circles, Arish is sometimes linked to Ārash, the archer of Iranian epic tradition, but the usual Persian form of that name is Arash, and the two are not clearly the same name. In some families Arish is also used as a short form of a longer given name, so the name has more than one possible route into use. No single line of transmission is firmly documented.
How Popular is the Name Arish?
Arish 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 2025. Its best rank was #3,247 in 2025.
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 | #3,247 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 2024 | #3,389 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 2023 | #4,892 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #4,857 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2021 | #5,353 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #3,817 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2019 | #3,721 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2018 | #4,233 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2017 | #5,308 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #6,755 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #6,696 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #7,097 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #5,418 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #8,126 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #6,719 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #12,629 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #11,033 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #6,937 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #9,658 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #7,696 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #6,884 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #6,789 | 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 Arish 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 are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Arish's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Arish's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.