Given name & surname
Hussein
“the small handsome one; a good man”
Hussein is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “the small handsome one; a good man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “the small handsome one; a good man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1967. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hussein through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,402
- 3,402 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 135 babies
- 2025
- 83
- #1,894 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −6%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 83 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,894 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 5.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 135 in 2015. In 2025, Michigan had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (20). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,190 as a first name in 2020; 13,676 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hussein’s family of names
Hussein has a related form in Hussain. Hussein has a related form in Husein. Hussein has a related form in Husain.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Hussainvariant
- Husaynvariant · English
- Husainvariant
- Huseinvariant
- Hussanevariant
- Husanevariant
- Husaenvariant
- Hussaenvariant
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Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Hussein
- AvicennaPersian polymath, physician and philosopher (c. 980–1037)
- Husayn ibn Aligrandson of Muhammad and the 3rd Shia Imam (626–680)
- Hussein of JordanKing of Jordan from 1952 to 19991935–1999
- Hissène Habré5th president of Chad1942–2021
- Hussein, King of HejazSharif and Emir of Mecca, then King of Hejaz and Sharifian Caliph (1854–1931)1853–1931
- Hossein Amir-AbdollahianIranian politician and diplomat1964–2024
- Hussein Kamel of EgyptSultan of Egypt (1853–1917)
- Hussein, Crown Prince of JordanCrown Prince of Jordan (born 1994)
- Hussain Muhammad ErshadPresident of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990 Former (6th) Army chief of Bangladesh1930–2019
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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