Given name
Najma
“a starlike woman”
Najma is a variant of Najam. One Arabic interpretation is “a starlike woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Najma is a variant of Najam. One Arabic interpretation is “a starlike woman.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Najma is a variant of Najam. An origin associated with Najam is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1983. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Najma through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 885
- 0 boys · 885 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 38 babies
- 2025
- 21
- #5,854 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 21 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 5,854 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 21.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 38 in 2016. In 2025, Minnesota had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,919 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Najma
- Najma HeptullaIndian politicianborn 1940
- Najma ChowdhuryBangladeshi academic1942–2021
- Najma KousriTunisian feminist and LGBT rights activistborn 1991
- Najma IdreesKuwaiti writer and poetborn 1952
- Najma Akhtarsingerborn 1962
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.