Karim is an Arabic name meaning "generous" or "noble". Al-Karim, the Generous, is one of the ninety-nine names of God in Islam, which makes the name popular across the Muslim world; in America the spelling Kareem is linked to basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Karim entered the US top 1000 in 2016, reached its best rank of number 707 in 2023 and stands at number 1084 in 2025.