Fun Facts About the Name Imani
- More than 29 thousand babies named Imani: U.S. records list 29,202 babies given the name Imani from 1880 through 2025. Even 1,394 boys received the name Imani - about 1 boy for every 20 girls.
What Does the Name Imani Mean?
Imani is a Swahili word meaning "faith," and it is used as a given name in that same sense. Swahili took the word from Arabic īmān (إيمان), which also means faith or belief. The Arabic noun belongs to a root, ʾ-m-n, that carries ideas of safety, trust, and believing; related Arabic words from the same root include amān (safety, security) and muʾmin (believer). In Swahili the name is not a symbol or a metaphor borrowed for naming purposes - it is the ordinary noun for faith, used directly as a personal name.
Imani Name History & Origins
Swahili is a Bantu language of the East African coast, and its vocabulary includes a large layer of Arabic loanwords that entered through centuries of trade and other contact between the Swahili coast and the Arabian Peninsula, as well as through the spread of Islam in the region. Imani belongs to that borrowed vocabulary: Arabic īmān became Swahili imani, and Swahili speakers in Kenya, Tanzania, and neighboring areas have used it as a personal name. Like many Swahili names, it is given to both boys and girls, though outside East Africa it is now more often treated as a girl's name.
A related name used in Arabic-speaking countries is Iman, taken directly from the same Arabic noun rather than by way of Swahili. Names such as Amina and Amna come from the same Arabic root but are distinct names with their own histories.
The word became widely familiar in the United States through Kwanzaa, the African American cultural holiday established in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, whose seventh and closing principle is named Imani (Faith). That holiday use is much more recent than the word itself, which long predates it in both Arabic and Swahili.
How Popular is the Name Imani?
Imani recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1998. Its best rank was #239 in 1996.
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 | #579 | 512 | 0.0319% |
| 2024 | #526 | 583 | 0.0361% |
| 2023 | #476 | 647 | 0.0404% |
| 2022 | #503 | 627 | 0.0383% |
| 2021 | #531 | 582 | 0.0355% |
| 2020 | #522 | 579 | 0.0358% |
| 2019 | #522 | 596 | 0.0355% |
| 2018 | #515 | 607 | 0.0357% |
| 2017 | #541 | 573 | 0.0332% |
| 2016 | #543 | 576 | 0.0325% |
| 2015 | #533 | 584 | 0.0327% |
| 2014 | #500 | 626 | 0.0351% |
| 2013 | #484 | 628 | 0.0358% |
| 2012 | #387 | 807 | 0.0458% |
| 2011 | #392 | 809 | 0.0460% |
| 2010 | #372 | 861 | 0.0484% |
| 2009 | #411 | 774 | 0.0421% |
| 2008 | #384 | 841 | 0.0445% |
| 2007 | #388 | 845 | 0.0440% |
| 2006 | #405 | 785 | 0.0413% |
| 2005 | #412 | 757 | 0.0410% |
| 2004 | #388 | 801 | 0.0436% |
| 2003 | #328 | 954 | 0.0522% |
| 2002 | #318 | 968 | 0.0539% |
| 2001 | #300 | 1,047 | 0.0581% |
| 2000 | #304 | 1,051 | 0.0579% |
| 1999 | #299 | 1,035 | 0.0583% |
| 1998 | #253 | 1,222 | 0.0692% |
| 1997 | #248 | 1,185 | 0.0681% |
| 1996 | #239 | 1,171 | 0.0668% |
| 1995 | #266 | 1,034 | 0.0588% |
| 1994 | #303 | 905 | 0.0507% |
| 1993 | #468 | 541 | 0.0299% |
| 1992 | #552 | 427 | 0.0232% |
| 1991 | #723 | 288 | 0.0154% |
| 1990 | #936 | 203 | 0.0107% |
| 1989 | #1,244 | 127 | 0.0069% |
| 1988 | #1,693 | 76 | 0.0043% |
| 1987 | #2,248 | 48 | 0.0028% |
| 1986 | #2,178 | 48 | 0.0028% |
| 1985 | #2,674 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 1984 | #2,804 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 1983 | #2,284 | 42 | 0.0025% |
| 1982 | #2,421 | 40 | 0.0024% |
| 1981 | #2,579 | 36 | 0.0022% |
| 1980 | #2,550 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 1979 | #2,748 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 1978 | #2,446 | 36 | 0.0024% |
| 1977 | #2,687 | 31 | 0.0020% |
| 1976 | #2,955 | 25 | 0.0017% |
| 1975 | #2,904 | 25 | 0.0017% |
| 1974 | #2,408 | 32 | 0.0022% |
| 1973 | #2,528 | 29 | 0.0020% |
| 1972 | #3,104 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1971 | #4,014 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1970 | #5,551 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,014 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 2024 | #2,838 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 2023 | #2,492 | 54 | 0.0032% |
| 2022 | #2,767 | 47 | 0.0027% |
| 2021 | #2,356 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 2020 | #3,447 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2019 | #3,013 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2018 | #4,409 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2017 | #3,269 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 2016 | #4,139 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2015 | #4,947 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2014 | #4,760 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #4,111 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2012 | #3,940 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #3,389 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2010 | #3,932 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2009 | #4,644 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #3,518 | 31 | 0.0015% |
| 2007 | #5,286 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #4,755 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #3,979 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2004 | #2,582 | 42 | 0.0021% |
| 2003 | #3,394 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2002 | #2,525 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 2001 | #3,017 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 2000 | #2,350 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 1999 | #2,182 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 1998 | #1,943 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 1997 | #1,823 | 52 | 0.0028% |
| 1996 | #1,770 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 1995 | #1,966 | 43 | 0.0023% |
| 1994 | #1,943 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 1993 | #1,833 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 1992 | #3,048 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1991 | #2,708 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 1990 | #2,653 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 1989 | #5,340 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #5,405 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #7,413 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #6,248 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #4,348 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #4,286 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #3,377 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1981 | #3,494 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #3,958 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1979 | #2,826 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #3,127 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1977 | #3,966 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #4,619 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #4,095 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #2,776 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #3,459 | 9 | 0.0006% |
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 Imani Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
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.
✦ Imani's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Imani's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.