Bahir
An Arabic name meaning "splendid" or "brilliant".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Bahir. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bahir today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bahir births was 2022 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bahir. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bahir. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2022
6 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,029
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Bahir: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bahir 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 Bahir during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bahir
The name Bahir is a variant of the Arabic name Bahir, which means "brilliant" or "shining." Its origins can be traced back to the 7th century when Arabic language and culture began to spread across the Middle East and North Africa.
The name Bahir is derived from the Arabic root word "b-h-r," which is associated with concepts of brightness, brilliance, and radiance. The name was likely given to individuals who were perceived as intelligent, learned, or possessing an exceptional quality that made them stand out.
In Islamic tradition, the name Bahir is mentioned in some historical records and literary works, although its usage was not as widespread as other Arabic names. One notable reference is found in the work of the 10th-century Arab scholar and philosopher, Al-Farabi, who wrote about the concept of "al-'aql al-bahir," which translates to "the brilliant intellect."
The earliest recorded examples of individuals bearing the name Bahir can be found in medieval Arabic manuscripts and historical chronicles. One notable figure was Bahir al-Din al-Qurashi (1192-1279), an influential Islamic scholar and jurist from Damascus who authored several treatises on Islamic law and theology.
Another historical figure was Bahir al-Mulk (1116-1188), a Persian vizier and statesman who served under the Seljuk Empire. He is known for his influential work on governance and administration, which was widely studied in the medieval Islamic world.
In the 13th century, there was a Sufi mystic and poet from Persia named Bahir al-Din Valad (1226-1292), who was the father of the renowned poet Rumi. Bahir al-Din Valad's spiritual teachings and poetic works had a significant impact on the development of Sufism in the region.
During the Ottoman Empire, a notable figure was Bahir al-Din al-Amili (1547-1621), a Shia scholar and philosopher from Lebanon who made significant contributions to the fields of theology, jurisprudence, and logic.
In more recent history, one of the most prominent figures with the name Bahir was Bahir al-Sadiq (1891-1943), an Iraqi politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from 1929 to 1930.
People
Bahir + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bahir as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bahir: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bahir?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bahir 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Bahir a common name?
We classify Bahir as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bahir most popular?
The single biggest year for Bahir was 2022, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bahir is about 4 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 Bahir in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bahir a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bahir 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 Bahir still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bahir 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 Bahir 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 Bahir?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.