Hisham

♂ Boy

Pronounced hih-SHAHM /hɪˈʃɑm/High

Meaning: From Arabic hashama, 'to break (bread)' — generosity personified; caliphal pedigreeMedium

In 30 seconds: Generosity by loaf: Hisham breaks bread etymologically — caliphs of Damascus and Córdoba set the table. Hospitality, dynastic.

Origin HighArabic

MeaningFrom Arabic hashama, 'to break (bread)' — generosity personified; caliphal pedigree

U.S. rank (2025)#4308 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births24 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year2016

Total births (all-time)≈ 926

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

Hisham comes from Arabic hashama, 'to break bread' — generosity — borne by Umayyad caliphs east and west.

In the U.S. it appears in Arab families. Rare, bread-breaking at the root, and hosted.

Did you know? Breaking bread for guests named Hisham — Umayyad caliphs in Damascus and Córdoba served under it for centuries.

Overall data confidence 82%

Arabic references — hashama — etymology

HeshamHichem

Hish

★Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (691-743)
Umayyad caliph who ruled the Islamic caliphate at its greatest territorial extent
★Hisham Matar (1970-)
Libyan-British author who won the Pulitzer Prize for memoir The Return
★Hisham Abbas (1962-)
Egyptian pop singer known as one of the top Arabic music artists of the 1990s-2000s

Karim— the 'generous' twin virtue

Arham— echoes that soft -am sound

Karam— echoes that soft -am sound

Akram— another Arabic name

Iram— echoes that soft -am sound

What does the name Hisham mean?

Hisham is Arabic, from 'to break bread' — generosity.

How do you pronounce Hisham?

It's said hih-SHAHM /hɪˈʃɑm/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Hisham a boy or girl name?

Hisham is a boy's name.

How popular is Hisham?

Hisham is a rare name in the U.S.