Imani
Torn between Imani and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
faith; a beloved name in African American families, part of the Swahili virtue-name tradition embraced since the 1970s
The story
Imani means faith in Swahili and is used in both Swahili and African American naming. Its US record becomes visible in the 1970s, with about 330 births, then 600 in the 1980s, 8,400 in the 1990s, and a crest near 9,100 in the 2000s. The line continues with 6,900 in the 2010s and 3,800 so far this decade, mostly girls: about 27,800 girls and 1,400 boys across the full record. That curve shows a name establishing itself and lasting across generations. It does not reveal why any particular family selected it. Faith is a compact virtue word with room for personal meaning, and Imani carries that clarity without needing a motive assigned to its bearers: one Swahili word, a long American record, and many private reasons the numbers cannot supply.
How popular is Imani around the world?
In the United States, 3,812 babies were named Imani between 2020 and 2025.
Imani is on the official records of the United States, Austria, England and Wales, France, Canada, Ireland, South Australia, Mexico City and Brazil.
United States
1 in 5,700
In the United States, 3,812 babies were named Imani between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Imani peaked in the 2000s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Austria
1 in 6,300
In Austria, 12 girls named Imani were born in 2025, the 408th most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
England and Wales
1 in 9,100
In England and Wales, 59 girls named Imani were born in 2025, the 650th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
France
1 in 9,900
In France, about 65 girls named Imani were born in 2025, the 651st most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Canada
1 in 12,000
In Canada, 24 girls named Imani were born in 2024, ranked 1,075th among girls that year.
In Canada, 6 boys named Imani were born in 2024, ranked 2,855th among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Ireland
1 in 14,000
In Ireland, 4 girls named Imani were born in 2025, the 718th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Imani in 2017.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Mexico City City
1 in 59,000
In Mexico City, there were 2 registrations of Imani in 2022.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Brazil
At the 2022 census, 43 people in Brazil were named Imani, ranked 73,816th, with a median age of 9.
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Not on the record in Spain, Argentina, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Imani
Most people given the name Imani in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Imani deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Imani truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Imani fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Imani fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Imani to your family’s tree →