Hira
A feminine Arabic name meaning "fragment" or "gem".
Name Census estimates that about 643 living Americans carry the first name Hira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hira today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hira births was 1999 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hira. 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.
People living today
643
~ 1 in 533,055 Americans
Peak year
1999
35 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,223
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Hira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hira from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 239 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Hira remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hira 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 Hira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hiras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Hira, while New Jersey, Illinois, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hira
The name Hira has its origins in Arabic, where it is derived from the word "hirah," meaning a small rock or pebble. This name is believed to have been in use since the pre-Islamic era in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in regions such as Hijaz and Najd.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hira can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quran, the word "hirah" is mentioned in reference to small rocks or pebbles, but it is not explicitly used as a personal name.
The name Hira gained prominence during the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century. During this period, several notable figures bore the name Hira, including Hira al-Basri, a renowned Muslim scholar and theologian born in Basra, Iraq, in the 8th century.
Another significant historical figure with the name Hira was Hira al-Andalusi, a Muslim philosopher and mathematician from al-Andalus (present-day Spain and Portugal), who lived in the 11th century. He made valuable contributions to the fields of astronomy and mathematics.
In the 12th century, Hira al-Qummi was a prominent Persian poet and mystic from Qom, Iran. His poetry focused on themes of love and spirituality, and he is considered one of the most influential figures in Persian literature.
Moving forward to the 13th century, Hira al-Baghdadi was a notable Islamic scholar and jurist from Baghdad, Iraq. He was widely respected for his knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and contributed significantly to the interpretation of Islamic law.
Hira al-Dimashqi, a Syrian scholar and historian from Damascus, lived in the 14th century. He is renowned for his extensive work on the history of Damascus, which remains an important source for understanding the city's rich cultural heritage.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Hira. While the name has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has been embraced by various communities and cultures across the Middle East and beyond, reflecting its enduring appeal and historical significance.
People
Hira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hira 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
Hira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 643 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hira 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 533,055 US residents.
Is Hira a common name?
We classify Hira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 656 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hira most popular?
The single biggest year for Hira was 1999, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hira is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hira in the SSA data are female. 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.