Demir
A masculine Turkish name meaning "iron" or "steel".
Name Census estimates that about 1,267 living Americans carry the first name Demir. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Demir today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Demir births was 2022 (137 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Demir. 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
- • Demir is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 9 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 270,524 Americans
Peak year
2022
137 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,709
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Demir: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Demir from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 566 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
Demir 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 Demir during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Demirs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. Florida, California, New York recorded the most babies named Demir, while Tennessee, Maryland, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 48 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Demir
The name Demir originates from the Turkish language and has its roots in the Turkic cultures of Central Asia and Anatolia. It is derived from the Turkish word "demir," meaning iron or steel, reflecting the strength and resilience associated with these metals.
In ancient times, the Turkic nomads were known for their skilled metalworking, and iron played a significant role in their daily lives, from tools and weapons to decorative items. The name Demir may have been given to individuals who exhibited similar qualities of strength, durability, and perseverance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Demir can be traced back to the Seljuk Empire, a medieval Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire that ruled over parts of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Anatolia between the 11th and 14th centuries. During this period, the name was likely used to honor individuals who displayed bravery and valor on the battlefield.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Demir. One such individual was Demir Hisar, a 14th-century Ottoman military commander and statesman who played a crucial role in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into the Balkans. His leadership and strategic skills were instrumental in securing important victories for the Ottoman forces.
Another prominent figure was Demir Yeşil Zade, a 16th-century Ottoman statesman and historian who served as the Grand Vizier (chief minister) under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He is renowned for his contributions to Ottoman literature and his historical writings, which provide valuable insights into the political and cultural aspects of the Ottoman Empire during that era.
In the 19th century, Demir Hüseyin Pasha was a prominent Ottoman military leader and statesman who served as the Governor of Baghdad and played a significant role in the modernization efforts of the Ottoman Empire. His reforms and initiatives aimed to strengthen the empire's military and administrative systems.
Demir Kaplan, born in 1920 and died in 2008, was a renowned Turkish novelist and playwright. He is celebrated for his works that explored the social and cultural complexities of modern Turkish society, shedding light on the struggles and aspirations of ordinary people.
Demir Hotić, born in 1953, is a Bosnian chess grandmaster and author. He has achieved numerous successes in international chess competitions and has made significant contributions to the development of chess literature with his insightful books and analyses.
People
Demir + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Demir as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Demir: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Demir?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,267 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Demir 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 270,524 US residents.
Is Demir a common name?
We classify Demir as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,277 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Demir most popular?
The single biggest year for Demir was 2022, when 137 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Demir is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Demir a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Demir 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.
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.