boys' name ★ peaked 2001

Ahmad

Meaning praiseworthy Gender Boy Rank 2025 #669 Trend → Stable

Borrowed from Arabic أَحْمَد (ʔaḥmad), elative of حَمِيد (ḥamīd, “praiseworthy”); or from Persian اَحْمَد (ahmad).

Rank 2025
#669
among boys · ↓1 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
407
named Ahmad · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,197
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2001
662 babies
All-time total
20,366
#833 all-time among boys
First recorded
1950
in Social Security records

Ahmad popularity over time

20,366 babies have been named Ahmad since 1950, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – 57 57 6 – #2,034
1960s – 205 205 21 +260% #1,455
1970s 18 1,287 1,305 131 +537% #491
1980s – 2,314 2,314 231 +77% #535
1990s – 3,923 3,923 392 +70% #402
2000s – 5,387 5,387 539 +37% #386
2010s – 4,713 4,713 471 -13% #523
2020s (to 2025) – 2,462 2,462 410 -13% #625

Where Ahmad is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 401 0.23 outside top 500
2027 396 0.23 outside top 500
2028 392 0.23 outside top 500
2029 389 0.23 outside top 500
2030 386 0.23 outside top 500

Where Ahmad is most popular

Boys named Ahmad per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.235 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Illinois, and Michigan.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ahmad born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 70 0.684 +191%
Illinois 150 0.587 +149%
Michigan 120 0.586 +149%
Maryland 69 0.579 +146%
Virginia 106 0.559 +137%
New York 173 0.400 +70%
Delaware 6 0.396 +68%
Pennsylvania 100 0.377 +60%
Ohio 87 0.328 +39%
Georgia 76 0.300 +27%
New Jersey 58 0.288 +22%
Missouri 37 0.267 +13%
North Carolina 61 0.239 ≈ national
Texas 207 0.235 ≈ national
Mississippi 13 0.229 ≈ national
Wisconsin 27 0.228 ≈ national
California 206 0.225 ≈ national
Washington 36 0.220 -7%
Florida 92 0.194 -17%
South Carolina 18 0.174 -26%
Tennessee 25 0.138 -41%
Alabama 12 0.110 -53%
Connecticut 7 0.103 -56%
Minnesota 11 0.090 -62%
Indiana 14 0.087 -63%
Massachusetts 12 0.087 -63%
Colorado 11 0.085 -64%
Kansas 5 0.073 -69%
Arizona 11 0.067 -71%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ahmad

Ahmad is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #669 in 2025 with 407 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1950, 20,366 American babies have been named Ahmad. Its peak came in 2001, when 662 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ahmad stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ahmad?

The median living Ahmad is about 21 years old; half are between 11 and 31. An estimated 20 thousand people named Ahmad are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ahmad year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 407 #669
2024 – – 411 #668
2023 – – 393 #685
2022 – – 437 #634
2021 – – 385 #689
2020 – – 429 #625
2019 – – 454 #602
2018 – – 502 #552
2017 – – 481 #564
2016 – – 466 #588
2015 – – 498 #565
2014 – – 490 #567
2013 – – 458 #569
2012 – – 444 #579
2011 – – 426 #588
2010 – – 494 #523
2009 – – 567 #482
2008 – – 465 #560
2007 – – 462 #558
2006 – – 487 #524
2005 – – 542 #467
2004 – – 508 #487
2003 – – 542 #465
2002 – – 626 #404
2001 – – 662 #386
2000 – – 526 #454
1995 – – 347 #546
1990 – – 327 #560
1985 – – 190 #638
1980 – – 238 #556
1975 – – 135 #712
1970 – – 48 #1,192
1965 – – 21 #1,721
1960 – – 21 #1,772
1955 – – 7 #3,202
1950 – – 5 #3,691
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Ahmad

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ahmad Shah Qajar Ahmad Shah Qajar Shah of Iran from 1909 to 1925 1898–1930 · 19th century
  2. 2 Ahmad Shah Massoud Ahmad Shah Massoud Afghan military leader (1953–2001) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ahmad Shah Durrani Ahmad Shah Durrani Founder of the Durrani Empire 1722–1772 · 18th century
  4. 4 Ahmad ibn Fadlan 10th-century Arab traveller and ethnographer 900–960 · Medieval
  5. 5 Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal American jazz pianist (1930–2023) Contemporary
  6. 6 Ahmad ibn Hanbal Ahmad ibn Hanbal Muslim scholar, jurist, and theologian (780–855) Medieval
  7. 7 Ahmad Shah Bahadur Ahmad Shah Bahadur Mughal emperor from 1748 to 1754 1725–1775 · 18th century
  8. 8 Ahmad Sirhindi Ahmad Sirhindi Indian Naqshbandi Sufi (1564–1624) 16th century
  9. 9 Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani Emir of Qatar from 1960 to 1972 1920–1977 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Ahmad Jannati Ahmad Jannati Iranian principlist politician (born before 1927) Contemporary
  11. 11 Ahmad Shah of Pahang Ahmad Shah of Pahang King of Malaysia from 1979 to 1984 1930–2019 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi 16th century Imam and General of the Adal Sultanate 1506–1543 · 16th century
  13. 13 Ahmad Zahir Ahmad Zahir Singer, songwriter and composer 1946–1979 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Ahmad Sanjar Ahmad Sanjar Sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1118 to 1157 1085–1157 · Medieval
  15. 15 Ahmad al-Mansur Ahmad al-Mansur 7th Ruler of Saadi Dynasty 1549–1603 · 16th century
  16. 16 Ahmad Qavam Ahmad Qavam Five time prime minister of Iran (1873–1955) 1876–1955 · 19th century
  17. 17 Ahmad bin Yahya Ahmad bin Yahya King and Imam of Yemen from 1948 to 1962 1891–1962 · 19th century
  18. 18 Ahmad Yasawi Ahmad Yasawi Kara-Khanid poet and Sufi (1093–1166) 1103–1166 · Medieval
  19. 19 Ahmad Tejan Kabbah Ahmad Tejan Kabbah 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–97, 1998–2007) 1932–2014 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Ahmad ibn Tulun Emir of Egypt and Syria from 868 to 884 835–884 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ahmad, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ahmad?

The median living Ahmad is about 21 years old. Half of all living Ahmads are between 11 and 31 years old.

How many people named Ahmad are alive today?

An estimated 20 thousand people named Ahmad are alive in the United States, based on 20,366 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ahmad mean?

Borrowed from Arabic أَحْمَد (ʔaḥmad), elative of حَمِيد (ḥamīd, “praiseworthy”); or from Persian اَحْمَد (ahmad).

How popular is the name Ahmad in 2025?

Ahmad ranked #669 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 407 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ahmad?

20,366 babies have been named Ahmad in the United States since 1950, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ahmad most popular?

Ahmad peaked in 2001, when 662 newborns received the name.

Is Ahmad a boy or girl name?

Ahmad is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ahmad rising or falling?

Ahmad has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Ahmad become more popular?

Ahmad looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 386 boys named Ahmad in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ahmad?

Well-known people named Ahmad include Ahmad Shah Qajar (politician), Ahmad Shah Massoud (politician), Ahmad Shah Durrani (politician).

Names like Ahmad

Names that sound and feel close to Ahmad: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ahmad with similar names → More names starting with A →