Hayder
An Arabic masculine name meaning "lion" or "brave one".
Name Census estimates that about 46 living Americans carry the first name Hayder. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hayder today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hayder births was 2015 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hayder. 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 Hayder. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
46
~ 1 in 7,451,181 Americans
Peak year
2015
8 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,286
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Hayder: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hayder 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 21 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hayder remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hayder 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 Hayder 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 Hayder
The name Hayder has its roots in Arabic culture and language. It is derived from the Arabic word "Haydar," which means "lion" or "brave." The name's origins can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the early Islamic era in the Arabian Peninsula.
Hayder is a name that has been associated with bravery and courage throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name appears in the Quran, where it is mentioned as a descriptive term for the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was known for his valor and strength in battle.
In the early Islamic period, Hayder was a popular name among Arab warriors and military leaders. One notable figure was Hayder ibn Kaab al-Walibi (660-738 CE), a renowned general who played a crucial role in the Muslim conquest of Hispania (present-day Spain and Portugal).
During the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE), the name Hayder gained further prominence. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Hayder al-Abbasi (766-809 CE), a celebrated poet and scholar who served at the court of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid.
In more recent history, the name Hayder has been carried by several influential figures. One such individual was Hayder Khan (1888-1959), an Indian Muslim leader and statesman who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and served as the first Prime Minister of the Princely State of Hyderabad.
Another notable bearer of the name was Hayder al-Attas (1904-1961), a prominent Indonesian writer, journalist, and political activist who fought for Indonesian independence from Dutch colonial rule.
Hayder Aliev (1923-1992) was a Soviet-Azerbaijani actor and film director who received numerous accolades, including the prestigious People's Artist of the USSR award.
Hayder Bammate (1891-1965) was an influential Lebanese philosopher, diplomat, and educator who served as the first Secretary-General of the Arab League from 1945 to 1952.
Throughout its rich history, the name Hayder has remained associated with bravery, strength, and leadership across various cultures and regions influenced by Arabic and Islamic traditions.
People
Hayder + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hayder as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hayder: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hayder?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 46 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hayder 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 7,451,181 US residents.
Is Hayder a common name?
We classify Hayder as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 46 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hayder most popular?
The single biggest year for Hayder was 2015, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hayder is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hayder a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hayder 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.