Behzad
A Persian masculine name meaning "beautiful" or "prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Behzad. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Behzad today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Behzad births was 2017 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Behzad. 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 Behzad with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Behzad. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2017
6 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#10,940
Tracked since 2017
Census
Behzad in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,019 people with the first name Behzad, which placed it at #12,264 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,264
National first-name rank
People counted
1.0K
1,019 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
81.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Behzad
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Behzad is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Behzad described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Behzad at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 826
- Two or more races11.8% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.5% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Popularity
Behzad: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Behzad 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 Behzad during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Behzad
The name Behzad is of Persian origin, tracing its roots to the ancient Iranian language of Pahlavi. It is a compound name, derived from the words "beh" meaning "good" and "zad" meaning "born" or "created." Collectively, it can be interpreted as "well-born" or "noble."
Historically, the name Behzad has been associated with artistic excellence and cultural refinement in Persian societies. One of the earliest and most renowned figures bearing this name was Kamal ud-Din Behzad, a celebrated Persian painter and miniaturist who lived during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is considered a master of the Herat school of painting and his intricate works have been preserved in various museums and collections around the world.
Another notable Behzad in Persian history was Behzad Lari, a prominent 16th-century architect and calligrapher. He is renowned for his contributions to the architectural marvels of Isfahan, including the stunning Naqsh-e Jahan Square and the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. His calligraphic works adorned many buildings and manuscripts, showcasing his artistic prowess.
In the realm of literature, Behzad Farahani was a celebrated 12th-century Persian poet. His poetic compositions, known as ghazals, have been widely admired for their lyrical beauty and profound insights. Farahani's works have been preserved and studied by scholars of Persian literature throughout the centuries.
Behzad Nabavi, born in 1938, was a prominent Iranian politician and diplomat. He served as the Minister of Heavy Industries under the Shah's government and played a crucial role in Iran's industrialization efforts during the 20th century. Nabavi was also actively involved in diplomatic endeavors, representing Iran in various international forums.
In more recent times, Behzad Yaghmaian, born in 1949, has made significant contributions to the field of economics and social justice. As a professor and author, he has written extensively on issues of poverty, globalization, and economic development. His works have shed light on the challenges faced by developing nations and advocated for equitable economic policies.
These are just a few notable individuals who have carried the name Behzad throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and demonstrating the rich cultural heritage associated with this Persian name.
People
Behzad + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Behzad 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
Behzad: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Behzad?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Behzad 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Behzad a common name?
We classify Behzad as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Behzad most popular?
The single biggest year for Behzad was 2017, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Behzad is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Behzad in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,019 people with the name Behzad, or 0.34 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,264 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Behzad in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Behzad?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Behzad appears almost entirely male. Of the 1,021 people counted with this name, 99.9% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Behzad?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Behzad is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Behzad most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Behzad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (826 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Behzad in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Behzad a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Behzad 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 Behzad still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Behzad 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 Behzad 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.
How many people share the name Behzad?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.