ESC 

Name Rank Total 

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1982

First Year

2024

Last Year

1996

Peak Year

#5981

Peak Rank

108

Total Count

17

Years Active

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## Meaning & Origin of Cem

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 

Cem is a Turkish male given name. It derives from Persian, where it is a shortened form of Jamshid. Notable people with the name are as follows:Cem Sultan (1459–1495), Ottoman prince Cem Adrian, Turkish singer and songwriter Cem Akdağ, Turkish basketball coach Cem Anhan, German rapper of Kurdish origin Cem Atan, Austrian footballer Cem Avşar, Turkish politician and businessman Cem Bayoğlu,…

Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cem%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cem%5F%28given%5Fname%29)

### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

* Turkish

📖

## The Story of Cem

American parents first put Cem on the record books as a baby boy name in 1982, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1996, when 9 Cems were born — ranking #5,981 that year. About 37% of every Cem on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Cem last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 108 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.

## Popularity Over Time

## Popularity by State

ME

WA

MT

ND

MN

WI

MI

NY

VT

NH

MA

OR

ID

SD

IA

IL

IN

OH

PA

NJ

CT

RI

CA

NV

WY

NE

MO

KY

WV

VA

MD

DE

DC

UT

CO

KS

AR

TN

NC

SC

AK

AZ

NM

OK

LA

MS

AL

GA

HI

TX

FL

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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## Names that sound like Cem

Phonetically similar names — useful when Cem is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [Sem](/sem)
* Seme
* Semb
* Some
* Sum
* [Sim](/sim)
* Summe
* Sym
* Cimb
* Simm
* Summ
* Scim

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. 

❓

## Frequently Asked Questions about Cem

What does the name Cem mean?

Cem is a Turkish male given name. It derives from Persian, where it is a shortened form of Jamshid. Notable people with the name are as follows:Cem Sultan (1459–1495), Ottoman prince Cem Adrian, Turkish singer and songwriter Cem Akdağ, Turkish basketball coach Cem Anhan, German rapper of Kurdish origin Cem Atan, Austrian footballer Cem Avşar, Turkish politician and businessman Cem Bayoğlu,…

What is the origin of the name Cem?

Cem has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Turkish.

How popular is Cem in 2026?

In 2026, Cem ranks #12,301 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Cem most popular?

Cem reached its peak popularity in 1996, ranking #5,981 that year with 9 babies given the name.

Is Cem a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Cem is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Cem?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cem include Stalin, Juane, Shondale. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

## Similar Names

[👦StalinPeak #5981](/stalin)[👦JuanePeak #5981](/juane)[👦ShondalePeak #5981](/shondale)[👦AmaurisPeak #5981](/amauris)[👦KhaleefPeak #5981](/khaleef)[👦KareePeak #5981](/karee)[👦AntelmoPeak #5981](/antelmo)[👦JesiPeak #5981](/jesi)

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## About the name Cem 

Cem is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1982 and has accumulated 108 births in the dataset. Cem's peak popularity came in 1996 when it ranked #5,981\. Use the chart and map above to compare Cem's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1996 → ](/year/1996)
* [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s)
* [ Names starting with "C" → ](/letter/c)
* [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
* Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides. 

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