Syed is a South Asian spelling of the Arabic Sayyid, which means "lord" or "master" and is the honorific given to descendants of the Prophet Muhammad through his grandsons Hasan and Husayn. In Pakistan, India and Bangladesh it is often carried as a first name by men from such families, and American bearers are usually of South Asian heritage. Syed ranked number 754 in 2000, has hovered between number 1166 and 1629 for the last decade and stands at 1221 in 2025.