Farshad
A Persian masculine given name meaning "shining, splendid, glorious."
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Farshad. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Farshad today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Farshad births was 1985 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Farshad. 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 Farshad. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1985
6 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1990 SSA rank
#7,467
Tracked since 1984
Census
Farshad in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 715 people with the first name Farshad, which placed it at #15,935 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
#15,935
National first-name rank
People counted
715
715 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
81.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farshad
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Farshad is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%). 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 Farshad 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 Farshad at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 582
- Two or more races10.5% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.1% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Popularity
Farshad: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Farshad from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Farshad remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Farshad 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 Farshad during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Farshad
The given name Farshad has its origins in the Persian language and culture. It is believed to have emerged during the ancient Persian era, dating back to the 6th century BCE or earlier. The name is a combination of two Persian words, "far" meaning "glory" or "splendor," and "shad" meaning "joy" or "happiness."
This name was likely first used to describe individuals who embodied qualities of radiance, nobility, and joyfulness. It may have been associated with the concept of a glorious and joyous ruler or individual of high status in ancient Persian society.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient Persian texts or religious scriptures, its linguistic roots and structure suggest a deep-rooted connection to the Persian culture and language.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Farshad was a Persian poet and philosopher who lived in the 9th century CE. His full name was Farshad ibn Qudama, and he was known for his contributions to the literary and intellectual circles of the Abbasid Caliphate.
Another notable figure with this name was Farshad Mirza, a 16th-century Persian prince from the Safavid dynasty. He was the son of Shah Tahmasp I and played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the Safavid Empire.
In the 18th century, Farshad Khan was a prominent military leader and governor in the Mughal Empire. He served under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and was known for his military campaigns and administrative skills.
During the 19th century, Farshad was the name of a renowned Persian calligrapher and artist. His full name was Mirza Farshad Naqqash, and he was celebrated for his mastery of the intricate Persian calligraphic styles and his artistic contributions.
In more recent history, Farshad Noor was an Afghan politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan from 1992 to 1996. He played a crucial role in the country's international relations during a turbulent period.
The name Farshad continues to be a popular choice in Persian and Afghan communities, carrying the essence of its historical and cultural significance. It serves as a reminder of the rich literary, artistic, and intellectual traditions of the Persian civilization.
People
Farshad + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Farshad as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Farshad: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Farshad?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Farshad 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Farshad a common name?
We classify Farshad as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Farshad most popular?
The single biggest year for Farshad was 1985, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Farshad is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Farshad in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 715 people with the name Farshad, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,935 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 Farshad 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 Farshad?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Farshad appears almost entirely male. Of the 717 people counted with this name, 99.3% 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 Farshad?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Farshad is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%). 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 Farshad most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Farshad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (582 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 Farshad in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Farshad a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Farshad 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 Farshad still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Farshad 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 Farshad 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 are called Farshad?
Find out how many people share the name Farshad on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.