Given name
Sayf
“wielding a sword of faith”
Sayf is a variant of Seif. One Arabic interpretation is “wielding a sword of faith.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Sayf is a variant of Seif. One Arabic interpretation is “wielding a sword of faith.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Sayf is a variant of Seif. An origin associated with Seif is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2003. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Sayf through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 151
- 151 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 12 babies
- 2025
- 11
- #7,591 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +16%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,591 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 16.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
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.
People named Sayf
- Sayf ibn Umar8th century Islamic historian750–816
- Buluggin ibn ZiriFirst leader of the Sanhaja Berber dynasty of Zirids (r. 972–984)920–984
- Saif bin SultanOmani imam1700–1711
- Saif bin Sultan IIOmani imam1715–1742
- Saif-i SaraiGolden Horde poet1321–1391
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Sayf, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.