Safia
How to say it: suh-FEE-uh · /səˈfiə/
From Arabic 'safiya' meaning 'pure, clear' - widely used across Middle East, Africa and Europe.
Safia was the 833rd most popular girls’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 75 babies (Social Security Administration). The 2020s are its busiest decade so far, its births are up about 76% in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #680 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among girls’ names, 2025 | #833 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 75 |
| Share of births | 1 in 11,882 |
| Peak decade | 2020s |
| Change over 10 years | +76% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #680 |
| In France, 2025 | #130 among girls’ names, 140 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Safia is a newcomer: almost all of its history is from the last forty years.
What goes with it
Nicknames
- Saf
- Fia
- Safi
Honouring a Safia in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Safia is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish.
In France: #130 for girls in 2025.
Famous people named Safia
- Safia Farkash (born 1952)Second wife of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
- Safia Ahmed-jan (1941–2006)Women's rights advocate from Afghanistan
- Safia Boukhima (born 1991)Algerian volleyball player
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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