NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Qasim

A masculine Arabic name meaning "wealth distributor" or "divider.".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Qasim is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Qasim popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #857, with 37 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 76 births.

This profile covers 1,585 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 49% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,661 living people in the UK are called Qasim. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Qasim ranked #857 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 37 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1997, when 76 boys were registered as Qasim.
  • Qasim ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #602 in 2017.
  • About 1,661 living people in the UK are estimated to have Qasim as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#857

2024

Births in 2024

37

Latest year

Peak year

1997

76 births

Estimated living

1,661

2026

Meaning

What does Qasim mean?

The name Qasim is an Arabic masculine name that has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture. It is derived from the Arabic verb "qasama," which means "to divide" or "to distribute." The name is believed to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula during the early days of Islam.

In Islamic history, Qasim is a name associated with the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. He was born in Medina in the year 668 CE and was the son of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Umm Kulthum, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr is revered as a prominent figure in early Islamic history and is considered one of the most influential scholars of his time.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Qasim can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quran, the word "qasim" is used to refer to a person who distributes or divides something fairly. This association with justice and fairness may have influenced the popularity of the name among Muslims.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Qasim. For example, Qasim ibn Muhammad (699-738 CE) was an Arab military leader and the governor of Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain and Portugal) during the Umayyad Caliphate. He played a crucial role in the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Another prominent figure was Qasim al-Nuri (1834-1880 CE), an Ottoman Kurdish leader who led the Kurdish rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. He was instrumental in raising awareness about Kurdish nationalism and advocating for Kurdish rights.

In the field of science, Qasim al-Zahrawi (936-1013 CE), also known as Abulcasis, was an Andalusian Muslim surgeon and polymath. He made significant contributions to the field of medicine and is considered one of the greatest medieval surgeons.

Qasim Amin (1863-1908 CE) was an Egyptian writer, lawyer, and Islamic reformer who advocated for women's rights and education in the early 20th century. His works played a crucial role in shaping the discourse on gender equality and social reform in the Arab world.

Lastly, Qasim Suri (1292-1384 CE) was a renowned Persian poet and mystic who lived during the Timurid era. His works, notably the "Qasidas," are considered among the finest examples of Persian literature and have had a lasting influence on the poetic tradition of the region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Qasim over time

The chart below shows babies named Qasim registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Qasim, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 37 births in 2024, compared with 76 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Qasim
019385776199620102024

Decades

Qasim by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Qasim was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #792 207 5
2010s #670 515 10
2000s #478 589 10
1990s #344 274 4

Geography

Where Qasim is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Qasim. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Qasim ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #602 in 2017.

Scotland
4

Across the UK

Qasim in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#602 in 2017

20 years of NRS records, 90 total registered

Related

Names similar to Qasim

FAQ

Qasim: questions and answers

How popular is the name Qasim in the UK right now?

In 2024, Qasim was ranked #857 for boys in England and Wales, with 37 births registered.

When was Qasim most popular?

The peak year on record was 1997, with 76 babies registered as Qasim in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Qasim?

A masculine Arabic name meaning "wealth distributor" or "divider.".

How many people are called Qasim in the UK?

A total of 1,585 babies have been registered as Qasim across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 90 more in Scotland.

Where is Qasim most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Qasim ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #602 in 2017. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.