boys' name ★ peaked 2024

Mahdi

Meaning guided one Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,629 Trend ↑ Rising 40%

Borrowed from Arabic مَهْدِيّ (mahdiyy, “guided one”).

Rank 2025
#1,629
among boys · ↓24 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
104
named Mahdi · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,424
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2024
107 babies
All-time total
2,398
#2,950 all-time among boys
First recorded
1959
in Social Security records

Mahdi popularity over time

2,398 babies have been named Mahdi since 1959, 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
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2024Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s 5 1 – #4,354
1960s – – – –
1970s 33 3 – #4,414
1980s 124 12 +276% #2,960
1990s 271 27 +119% #2,220
2000s 634 63 +134% #1,798
2010s 824 82 +30% #1,635
2020s (to 2025) 507 85 +3% #1,605

Where Mahdi 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 110 0.06 outside top 500
2027 115 0.07 outside top 500
2028 120 0.07 outside top 500
2029 124 0.07 outside top 500
2030 127 0.07 outside top 500

Where Mahdi is most popular

Boys named Mahdi per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.051 per 1,000. Strongest in Michigan, New York, and Minnesota.

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 Mahdi 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
Michigan 149 0.728 +1318%
New York 34 0.079 +53%
Minnesota 6 0.049 -5%
California 39 0.043 -17%
Pennsylvania 7 0.026 -49%
Virginia 5 0.026 -49%
Ohio 6 0.023 -56%
Texas 18 0.020 -60%
Illinois 5 0.020 -62%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Mahdi

Mahdi is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,629 in 2025 with 104 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1959, 2,398 American babies have been named Mahdi. Its peak came in 2024, when 107 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Mahdi stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mahdi?

The median living Mahdi is about 14 years old; half are between 7 and 22. An estimated 2,400 people named Mahdi are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

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

Mahdi year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 104 #1,629
2024 107 #1,605
2023 86 #1,860
2022 79 #1,960
2021 67 #2,148
2020 64 #2,180
2019 82 #1,845
2018 74 #1,989
2017 88 #1,762
2016 70 #2,035
2015 98 #1,635
2014 72 #1,990
2013 93 #1,640
2012 79 #1,856
2011 84 #1,752
2010 84 #1,774
2009 66 #2,086
2008 78 #1,869
2007 81 #1,807
2006 68 #1,983
2005 70 #1,851
2004 70 #1,798
2003 55 #2,069
2002 58 #1,932
2001 46 #2,233
2000 42 #2,317
1995 31 #2,479
1990 10 #5,241
1985 12 #3,718
1980 15 #3,044
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Mahdi?

The median living Mahdi is about 14 years old. Half of all living Mahdis are between 7 and 22 years old.

How many people named Mahdi are alive today?

An estimated 2,400 people named Mahdi are alive in the United States, based on 2,398 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Mahdi mean?

Borrowed from Arabic مَهْدِيّ (mahdiyy, “guided one”).

How popular is the name Mahdi in 2025?

Mahdi ranked #1,629 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 104 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mahdi?

2,398 babies have been named Mahdi in the United States since 1959, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mahdi most popular?

Mahdi peaked in 2024, when 107 newborns received the name.

Is Mahdi a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Mahdi rising or falling?

Mahdi is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Mahdi become more popular?

Mahdi is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 127 boys named Mahdi in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Mahdi

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

Compare Mahdi with similar names → More names starting with M →