boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Zahir

Meaning Borrowed from Arabic ظَاهِر (ẓāhir), ظٰهِر (ẓāhir) Gender Boy Rank 2025 #738 Trend ↑ Rising 54%

Borrowed from Arabic ظَاهِر (ẓāhir), ظٰهِر (ẓāhir).

Rank 2025
#738
among boys · ↑12 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
356
named Zahir · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,798
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
356 babies
All-time total
4,784
#1,835 all-time among boys
First recorded
1973
in Social Security records

Zahir popularity over time

4,784 babies have been named Zahir since 1973, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – 17 17 2 – #3,854
1980s – 68 68 7 +300% #4,782
1990s – 230 230 23 +238% #1,776
2000s 7 909 916 92 +298% #1,271
2010s – 1,691 1,691 169 +85% #937
2020s (to 2025) – 1,862 1,862 310 +84% #738

Where Zahir 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 383 0.22 outside top 500
2027 407 0.24 outside top 500
2028 428 0.25 outside top 500
2029 448 0.26 outside top 500
2030 465 0.27 outside top 500

Where Zahir is most popular

Boys named Zahir per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.186 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

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 Zahir 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
Georgia 117 0.462 +148%
Maryland 43 0.361 +94%
Massachusetts 46 0.335 +80%
Florida 158 0.334 +79%
New York 131 0.303 +63%
Louisiana 29 0.284 +52%
New Jersey 53 0.263 +41%
Connecticut 17 0.251 +35%
North Carolina 61 0.239 +28%
Illinois 60 0.235 +26%
Minnesota 27 0.220 +18%
Texas 173 0.196 +6%
Washington 32 0.196 +5%
Virginia 36 0.190 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 49 0.185 ≈ national
Ohio 44 0.166 -11%
California 149 0.163 -12%
Arkansas 10 0.158 -15%
Arizona 22 0.134 -28%
Colorado 17 0.132 -29%
South Carolina 13 0.126 -32%
Indiana 20 0.125 -33%
Mississippi 6 0.106 -43%
Tennessee 19 0.105 -43%
Wisconsin 12 0.101 -46%
Michigan 18 0.088 -53%
Alabama 6 0.055 -71%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
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 Zahir

Zahir is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #738 in 2025 with 356 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1973, 4,784 American babies have been named Zahir. Its peak came in 2025, when 356 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 Zahir stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Zahir?

The median living Zahir is about 8 years old; half are between 3 and 16. An estimated 4,700 people named Zahir are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

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

Zahir 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 – – 356 #738
2024 – – 341 #750
2023 – – 346 #755
2022 – – 288 #847
2021 – – 276 #853
2020 – – 255 #890
2019 – – 233 #937
2018 – – 213 #978
2017 – – 216 #964
2016 – – 178 #1,104
2015 – – 153 #1,209
2014 – – 172 #1,116
2013 – – 137 #1,276
2012 – – 136 #1,292
2011 – – 114 #1,446
2010 – – 139 #1,262
2009 – – 119 #1,424
2008 – – 116 #1,440
2007 7 #15,445 139 #1,271
2006 – – 108 #1,446
2005 – – 95 #1,513
2004 – – 75 #1,718
2003 – – 75 #1,671
2002 – – 62 #1,850
2001 – – 59 #1,890
2000 – – 61 #1,798
1995 – – 17 #3,850
1990 – – 10 #5,374
1985 – – 8 #5,144
1980 – – 6 #6,240
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 Zahir, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Zahir?

The median living Zahir is about 8 years old. Half of all living Zahirs are between 3 and 16 years old.

How many people named Zahir are alive today?

An estimated 4,700 people named Zahir are alive in the United States, based on 4,784 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Zahir mean?

Borrowed from Arabic ظَاهِر (ẓāhir), ظٰهِر (ẓāhir).

How popular is the name Zahir in 2025?

Zahir ranked #738 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 356 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Zahir?

4,784 babies have been named Zahir in the United States since 1973, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Zahir most popular?

Zahir peaked in 2025, when 356 newborns received the name.

Is Zahir a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Zahir rising or falling?

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

Will Zahir become more popular?

Zahir is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 465 boys named Zahir in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Zahir

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

Compare Zahir with similar names → More names starting with Z →