Hyder
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "lion" or "courageous".
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the first name Hyder. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hyder today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hyder births was 2019 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hyder. 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
138
~ 1 in 2,483,727 Americans
Peak year
2019
13 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,960
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Hyder: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hyder from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 55 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hyder remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hyder 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 Hyder 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 Hyder
The name Hyder has its origins in the Arabic language and can be traced back to the early days of Islam. It is derived from the Arabic word "haydar," which means "lion" or "brave warrior." The name Hyder is believed to have been popularized by the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who is said to have given this name to one of his companions, known as Hyder ibn Abi Hyder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hyder can be found in the writings of the famous Muslim historian and scholar, Ibn Ishaq, who lived in the 8th century AD. Ibn Ishaq mentions a companion of the prophet named Hyder ibn Abi Hyder, who was known for his bravery and courage in battle.
Throughout the centuries, the name Hyder has been borne by many notable figures in Islamic history. One of the most famous was Hyder Ali (1722-1782), the Sultan of Mysore, who was a formidable military leader and a thorn in the side of the British East India Company during their expansion into India.
Another notable figure with the name Hyder was Hyder Khan Lohani (1675-1738), a Pashtun warrior and ruler who established the Lohani dynasty in what is now modern-day Afghanistan. He was known for his military prowess and his efforts to unite the Pashtun tribes against foreign invaders.
In the realm of literature, the name Hyder is associated with the Persian poet Hyder Nakhshabi (1538-1610), who was renowned for his lyrical ghazals and his mastery of the Persian language.
The name Hyder has also been borne by several Ottoman sultans and rulers, including Hyder Pasha (1642-1703), who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Mustafa II.
Another notable figure with the name Hyder was Hyder Khan Bamezai (1819-1878), a prominent Pashtun leader and warrior who played a significant role in the resistance against British rule in the Afghan region.
These are just a few examples of the many historical figures who have borne the name Hyder, a name that has long been associated with bravery, courage, and military prowess in the Islamic world.
People
Hyder + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hyder 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
Hyder: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hyder?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 138 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hyder 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 2,483,727 US residents.
Is Hyder a common name?
We classify Hyder as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 140 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hyder most popular?
The single biggest year for Hyder was 2019, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hyder is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hyder a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hyder 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.