Asir
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "captive" or "prisoner".
Name Census estimates that about 367 living Americans carry the first name Asir. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Asir today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Asir births was 2019 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Asir. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Asir with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
367
~ 1 in 933,936 Americans
Peak year
2019
47 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,601
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Asir: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Asir from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 179 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Asir by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Asir during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Asirs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Pennsylvania, California, New York recorded the most babies named Asir, while New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Asir
The name Asir has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots tracing back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "asir," which means "captive" or "prisoner." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who were held captive or imprisoned during the early Islamic era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Asir can be found in the historical accounts of the Abbasid Caliphate, a prominent Islamic empire that ruled a significant part of the Middle East and North Africa from 750 to 1258 CE. During this period, several notable individuals bore the name Asir, though their specific identities and contributions have been lost to history.
In the 10th century CE, an influential Sufi scholar and mystic named Asir al-Din al-Bukhari was born in the city of Bukhara, which is now part of modern-day Uzbekistan. He was renowned for his teachings on spiritual enlightenment and his contributions to the development of Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam.
Another prominent figure with the name Asir was Asir al-Din Ata Malik Juvayni, a Persian historian and statesman who lived during the 13th century CE. He served as a vizier (minister) to the Mongol rulers of the Ilkhanate Empire and is best known for his comprehensive historical work titled "Tarikh-i Jahan-gusha" (The World-Conqueror's History).
In the 14th century CE, Asir al-Din al-Abhari was a renowned Persian philosopher and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics. He was also an influential figure in the development of the Maragheh observatory, which was established by the Ilkhanid ruler Hulagu Khan.
During the 15th century CE, Asir al-Din al-Bukhari was a prominent Sufi scholar and poet from Central Asia. He authored several works on Sufism and Islamic mysticism, and his poetry was widely celebrated for its spiritual depth and literary excellence.
It's important to note that while the name Asir has deep roots in the Islamic world, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and regions throughout history. However, the specific details and historical references regarding its usage outside of the Middle East and Central Asia are less well-documented in the available sources.
People
Asir + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Asir as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Asir: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Asir?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 367 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Asir going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 933,936 US residents.
Is Asir a common name?
We classify Asir as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 370 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Asir most popular?
The single biggest year for Asir was 2019, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Asir is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Asir in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Asir a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Asir in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Asir still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Asir in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Asir can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Asir?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Asir, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.