Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Maher

Meaning skillful Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,741 Trend ↑ Rising 11%

Maher is an Arabic given name meaning "skillful" or "talented" or "expert." In Arabic context, it is pronounced "Maa-her." Notable people with the name include:

Rank 2025
#2,741
among boys · ↑1,202 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
47
named Maher · +68% vs 2024
How common
1 in 36,342
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
47 babies
All-time total
1,156
#4,699 all-time among boys
First recorded
1963
in Social Security records

Maher popularity over time

1,156 babies have been named Maher since 1963, 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
0.010.020.020.0318801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2025Boys

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 – – – –
1960s 12 1 – #3,808
1970s 88 9 +633% #2,666
1980s 148 15 +68% #2,465
1990s 202 20 +36% #2,476
2000s 181 18 -10% #3,113
2010s 314 31 +73% #2,964
2020s (to 2025) 211 35 +12% #2,741

Where Maher 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 48 0.03 outside top 500
2027 48 0.03 outside top 500
2028 49 0.03 outside top 500
2029 49 0.03 outside top 500
2030 50 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Maher

Maher is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,741 in 2025 with 47 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1963, 1,156 American babies have been named Maher. Its peak came in 2025, when 47 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 Maher stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Maher?

The median living Maher is about 18 years old; half are between 7 and 33. An estimated 1,100 people named Maher are alive in the United States today.

median 18 020406080100

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

Maher year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 47 #2,741
2024 28 #3,943
2023 41 #3,040
2022 31 #3,664
2021 30 #3,708
2020 34 #3,313
2019 35 #3,315
2018 39 #3,032
2017 40 #2,985
2016 35 #3,270
2015 37 #3,130
2014 39 #2,964
2013 30 #3,550
2012 21 #4,624
2011 18 #5,114
2010 20 #4,785
2009 14 #6,305
2008 14 #6,285
2007 16 #5,591
2006 12 #6,740
2005 23 #4,009
2004 14 #5,685
2003 29 #3,247
2002 14 #5,299
2001 29 #3,113
2000 16 #4,710
1995 10 #5,757
1990 18 #3,407
1985 15 #3,162
1980 14 #3,190
1975 13 #3,013
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Maher

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

  1. 1 Maher al-Assad Maher al-Assad Syrian fugitive and former general and commander of the 4th Division b. 1967 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Maher Zain Maher Zain Lebanese-Swedish R&B singer (born 1981) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Maher?

The median living Maher is about 18 years old. Half of all living Mahers are between 7 and 33 years old.

How many people named Maher are alive today?

An estimated 1,100 people named Maher are alive in the United States, based on 1,156 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Maher mean?

Maher is an Arabic given name meaning "skillful" or "talented" or "expert." In Arabic context, it is pronounced "Maa-her." Notable people with the name include:

How popular is the name Maher in 2025?

Maher ranked #2,741 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 47 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Maher?

1,156 babies have been named Maher in the United States since 1963, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Maher most popular?

Maher peaked in 2025, when 47 newborns received the name.

Is Maher a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Maher rising or falling?

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

Will Maher become more popular?

Maher looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 50 boys named Maher in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Maher?

Well-known people named Maher include Maher al-Assad (military personnel), Maher Zain (singer).

Names like Maher

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

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