Fun Facts About the Name Saima
- 669 babies named Saima: U.S. records list 669 babies given the name Saima from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Saima Mean?
Saima is a feminine name from Arabic. It is the feminine form of ṣāʾim, "one who fasts," and comes from the root ṣ-w-m, the same root as ṣawm, the religious fast. Formed on the pattern fāʿilah, the name is ṣāʾimah (صائمة), literally "a woman who fasts."
The meaning is a straightforward description rather than a symbolic one: the name names the act of fasting, one of the central practices of Islam, especially during Ramadan.
Saima Name History & Origins
Saima belongs to the Arabic naming tradition and traveled with the Arabic language and with Islam into Persian-, Turkish-, and Urdu-speaking regions. It is used widely in the Middle East, in Pakistan and among Indian Muslims, and in Central Asia. Common spellings include Saima and Sayma; in Bosnia the name appears as Šaima.
The name's sense is tied to sawm, the fast that is one of the pillars of Islamic practice and is observed through the month of Ramadan, which gives the name its religious associations for Muslim families.
A separate and unrelated use exists in Finland, where Saima is a female given name linked to Lake Saimaa, the country's largest lake. The origin of the lake's name is itself uncertain, and this Finnish name has no connection to the Arabic ṣāʾimah.
How Popular is the Name Saima?
Saima 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 1998. Its best rank was #1,432 in 1911.
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 | #10,759 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #17,184 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #11,997 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #11,078 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #8,883 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #11,947 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #9,630 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #12,533 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #11,622 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #11,677 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2014 | #10,040 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #8,502 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #11,039 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #7,454 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #12,269 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #9,969 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #11,475 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #9,797 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2005 | #8,770 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #8,624 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #7,138 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #10,086 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #6,257 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2000 | #8,446 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #6,140 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1998 | #5,092 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1996 | #7,479 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #6,191 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1994 | #8,649 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #5,631 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #13,002 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #12,759 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,959 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #14,032 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,019 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #8,572 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #7,009 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #9,061 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #5,809 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1983 | #6,601 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #4,677 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1981 | #5,818 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #10,073 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #7,170 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #11,069 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #10,889 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #6,342 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #9,305 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1921 | #5,014 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #4,892 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #4,193 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1918 | #2,993 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1917 | #3,050 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1916 | #2,802 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1915 | #3,098 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1914 | #2,405 | 10 | 0.0013% |
| 1913 | #2,781 | 7 | 0.0011% |
| 1912 | #2,116 | 9 | 0.0016% |
| 1911 | #1,432 | 12 | 0.0029% |
| 1910 | #1,611 | 10 | 0.0025% |
| 1908 | #2,064 | 6 | 0.0018% |
| 1906 | #1,538 | 8 | 0.0027% |
| 1905 | #1,895 | 6 | 0.0021% |
| 1904 | #1,836 | 6 | 0.0022% |
| 1903 | #2,041 | 5 | 0.0019% |
| 1902 | #1,762 | 6 | 0.0023% |
| 1899 | #1,563 | 6 | 0.0026% |
| 1898 | #1,668 | 6 | 0.0023% |
| 1896 | #1,778 | 5 | 0.0021% |
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 Saima Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Saima's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Saima's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.