How popular is the baby name Tahj in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Tahj.
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The Abdulsamad brothers — Khiry (b. 1973), Tajh (b. 1976), Hakim (b. 1975), and Bilal (b. 1978) — started performing together in the mid-1980s, “dancing and lip-synching to New Edition records at Venice Beach for donations.”
They were so successful at busking that they “[set] their sights on a show-biz career.”
The brothers formed an R&B vocal quartet called The Boys and, a few years later, signed a record deal with Motown.
The Boys’ songs are well-produced and propelled by strong, danceable rhythms, offering simple, romantic messages that apparently set young girls swooning.
Three of their songs climbed to #1 on Billboard‘s Hot Black Singles chart, and two of the three also reached Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart:
“Dial My Heart,” which peaked at #13 in February of 1989, and
“Crazy,” which peaked at #29 in October of 1990.
So, how did The Boys influence U.S. baby names?
Khiry
The name Khiry debuted impressively in the data in 1989 and reached peak usage in 1990:
1991: 132 baby boys named Khiry [rank: 916th]
1990: 244 baby boys named Khiry [rank: 649th] (peak usage)
1989: 159 baby boys named Khiry [rank: 788th] (debut)
The similar name Kyree also saw higher usage 1989. Other names that debuted in the data that year and the next include Khiree, Kiry, Kiree, Khiri, Khayri, and Khirey.
The name Khiry — which the eldest Abdulsamad brother pronounced kie-ree — is likely based on the Arabic name Khayri, meaning “charitable.”
“Hakeem” (Hakim)
Hakim’s name is spelled “Hakim” in the California Birth Index, at various music websites (e.g. AllMusic, Genius), and in this 2017 Instagram post written by Tajh.
Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, however, it was regularly spelled “Hakeem.”
I assumed this was a typo when I first encountered it in Jet and Ebony, because I’ve seen name-related typos in those magazines before. But then I spotted it in several major newspapers. And finally I noticed it on-screen in the “Dial My Heart” music video, and printed on the single for “Crazy” — suggesting that the spelling was, in fact, intentional.
Hakim’s name spelled “Hakeem” in a music video
I can’t account for the Hakim/Hakeem spelling discrepancy, but I can show you the result: the baby name Hakeem shot to peak usage (and entered the boys’ top 1,000 for the first time) in 1989, while baby name Hakim saw no movement at all the same year.
The spelling Belal also got a boost that year, and both Billal and Bilaal debuted in the data.
Bilal — which the youngest Abdulsamad brother pronounced bih-LAL (like the name Bill with the end-sound of “canal” or “morale”) — is an Arabic name meaning “moistening.”
Which of The Boys’ names – Khiry, Tajh, Hakim, or Bilal – do you like best?
If you’re on the hunt for baby names with a numerological value of 3, you’re in luck! Because today’s post features hundreds of 3-names.
Before we get to the names, though — how do we know that they’re “threes” in numerology?
Turning names into numbers
Here’s how to calculate the numerological value of a name.
First, for each letter, come up with a number to represent that letter’s position in the alphabet. (Letter A would be number 1, letter B would be number 2, and so forth.) Then, add all the numbers together. If the sum has two or more digits, add the digits together recursively until the result is a single digit. That single digit is the name’s numerological value.
For instance, the letters in the name Tyson correspond to the numbers 20, 25, 19, 15, and 14. The sum of these numbers is 93. The digits of 93 added together equal 12, and the digits of 12 added together equal 3 — the numerological value of Tyson.
Baby names with a value of 3
Below you’ll find the most popular 3-names per gender, according to the latest U.S. baby name data. I’ve further sub-categorized them by total sums — just in case any of those larger numbers are significant to anyone.
3 via 12
The letters in the following baby names add up to 12, which reduces to three (1+2=3).
Girl names (3 via 12)
Boy names (3 via 12)
Aja, Fae, Bia, Abi, Bee
Gad, Jb, Abed
3 via 21
The letters in the following baby names add up to 21, which reduces to three (2+1=3).
Girl names (3 via 21)
Boy names (3 via 21)
Kai, Asa, Gala, Jaia, Clea
Kai, Kade, Asa, Alec, Ben, Beck, Cale
3 via 30
The letters in the following baby names add up to 30, which reduces to three (3+0=3).
There’s no definitive answer, unfortunately, because various numerological systems exist, and each one has its own interpretation of the number three. That said, if we look at a couple of modern numerology/astrology websites, we see 3 being described as “creative,” “optimistic,” “friendly,” “outgoing,” and “self-expressive.”
We can also look at associations, which are a bit more concrete. Here are some things that are associated with the number 3:
Triple crown (victory in three events)
Hat trick (3 goals scored in one game by a single player)
Circus (3 rings)
Yard (3 feet)
Three-act structure (in narrative)
Rule of thirds (in photography)
Traffic lights
Manx flag (3 legs)
What does the number 3 mean to you? What are your strongest associations with the number?
P.S. To see names with other numerological values, check out the posts for the numbers one, two, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.
This week let’s finish checking out the top baby name debuts of all time.
I’ll be counting down the 50 most popular boy name debuts in five posts, from today until Friday. (I did the top girl name debuts a couple of weeks ago.) I didn’t break any ties, so this “top 50” list actually has 93 names.
I came up with explanations for as many names as I could, but I’m still stumped on a few of them. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these.
Here’s 50 to 41:
Ajee, Baylee, Itzae & Kwamaine, 4-way tie for #50
Ajee debuted with 29 baby boys in 1994. Inspired by the Revlon perfume Ajee.
Baylee debuted with 29 baby boys in 1995. Inspired by baby Baylee Almon, victim of the Oklahoma City bombing.
Itzae debuted with 29 baby boys in 2011. I’m not sure what inspired it.
Kwamaine debuted with 29 baby boys in 1989. Inspired by rapper Kwame Holland.
Alize, Broderick, Diamante, Hoby, Jevante, Kwamane, Larenz & Savalas, 8-way tie for #49
Alize debuted with 30 baby boys in 1995. Inspired by the liqueur Alize.
Broderick debuted with 30 baby boys in 1950. Inspired by Broderick Crawford, an actor in the movie All the King’s Men.
Hoby debuted with 30 baby boys in 1958. Inspired by Hoby Gilman, a character on the TV western Trackdown.
Jevante debuted with 30 baby boys in 1992. Inspired by DeVante Swing, a member of Jodeci.
Kwamane debuted with 30 baby boys in 1989. Inspired by Kwame Holland as well.
Larenz debuted with 30 baby boys in 1994. Inspired by Larenz Tate, an actor in the movie Menace II Society.
Savalas debuted with 30 baby boys in 1974. Inspired by Telly Savalas, an actor on the TV show Kojak.
Cully, Omarian & Yul, 3-way tie for #48
Cully debuted with 31 baby boys in 1960. Inspired (in part) by Cully Wilson, a character on the TV show Lassie.
Omarian debuted with 31 baby boys in 2002. Inspired by singer Omarion.
Yul debuted with 31 baby boys in 1957. Inspired by Yul Brenner, an actor in the movie The Ten Commandments.
Cauy, Kesan, Khari, Kinta, Maverick, Roemello & Shaquel, 7-way tie for #47
Cauy debuted with 32 baby boys in 1999. Inspired by professional bull rider Cauy Hudson.
Kesan debuted with 32 baby boys in 2008. Inspired by Kesan, a contestant on the reality TV show From G’s to Gents.
Khari debuted with 32 baby boys in 1971. I’m not sure what inspired it.
Kinta debuted with 32 baby boys in 1977. Inspired by Kunta Kinte, a character on the TV miniseries Roots.
Maverick debuted with 32 baby boys in 1957. Inspired by Bret Maverick, a character on the TV western Maverick.
Roemello debuted with 32 baby boys in 1994. Inspired by Roemello Skuggs, a character in the movie Sugar Hill.
Shaquel debuted with 32 baby boys in 1993. Inspired by basketball player Shaquille O’Neal.
Tou, #46
Tou debuted with 33 baby boys in 1980. I’m not sure what inspired it. Inspired by Hmong immigration. (Thanks, Christina!)
Yuvin, #45
Yuvin debuted with 34 baby boys in 2016. I’m not sure what inspired it.
Caelan, Caillou, Daren, Illya, Kiefer & Quamaine, 6-way tie for #44
Caelan debuted with 35 baby boys in 1992. I’m not sure what inspired it.
Caillou debuted with 35 baby boys in 2001. Inspired by Caillou, a character on the children’s TV show Caillou.
Daren debuted with 35 baby boys in 1922. Inspired by Daren Lane, a character in the Zane Grey book The Day of the Beast.
Illya debuted with 35 baby boys in 1965. Inspired by Illya Kuryakin, a character on the TV show The Man from U.N.C.L.E..
Kiefer debuted with 35 baby boys in 1988. Inspired by Kiefer Sutherland, an actor in the movie Young Guns.
Quamaine debuted with 35 baby boys in 1989. Inspired by Kwame Holland as well.
Argenis, Corderro, Jelani, Kareen & Livan, 5-way tie for #43
Argenis debuted with 36 baby boys in 1981. I’m not sure what inspired it. Inspired by either singer Argenis Carruyo or actor Argenis Chirivela, not sure yet…
Corderro debuted with 36 baby boys in 1986. Inspired by Cordero Roberts, a character on the soap opera One Life to Live.
Livan debuted with 36 baby boys in 1997. Inspired by baseball player Livan Hernandez.
Deyonta, Tahj & Zeandre, 3-way tie for #42
Deyonta debuted with 37 baby boys in 1993. I’m not sure what inspired it.
Tahj debuted with 37 baby boys in 1989. Inspired by singer Tajh Abdulsamad, a member of The Boys.
Zeandre debuted with 37 baby boys in 1997. I’m not sure what inspired it.
Hobson & Llewyn, 2-way tie for #41
Hobson debuted with 38 baby boys in 1898. Inspired by Spanish-American War POW Richmond Hobson.
Llewyn debuted with 38 baby boys in 2014. Inspired by the movie Inside Llewyn Davis.
Do you have any ideas about where Zeandre, Deyonta, Jelani, Caelan, Yuvin, Tou, Khari, or Itzae might have come from?
More of the top 50 baby name debuts for boys: 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, 20-11, 10-1
Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri
[Latest update: Jul. 2025]
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