Ikher
A male name derived from Egyptian, meaning "excellent" or "perfect".
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Ikher. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ikher today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ikher births was 2013 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ikher. 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 Ikher. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2013
8 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2015 SSA rank
#9,954
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Ikher: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ikher 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 Ikher during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ikher
The given name Ikher finds its origins in the ancient Berber language spoken in North Africa, particularly in the region that is now modern-day Algeria and Morocco. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 9th or 10th century CE.
Ikher is derived from the Berber word "ikher," which means "moon" or "moonlight." This suggests that the name may have been associated with lunar deities or celestial symbolism in the traditional belief systems of the Berber peoples.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Ikher can be found in the writings of the renowned Andalusian scholar and philosopher Ibn Rushd, also known as Averroes (1126-1198 CE). In his philosophical works, he mentions an individual named Ikher ibn al-Hayy, who was a prominent scholar and theologian from the city of Tlemcen in present-day western Algeria.
Another notable figure bearing the name Ikher was Ikher al-Hawwari, a 13th-century Islamic scholar and poet from the city of Fez in modern-day Morocco. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of Arabic literature and his poetic works that celebrated Sufism and Islamic mysticism.
During the 14th century, Ikher ibn Musa al-Qayrawani was a celebrated mathematician and astronomer from the city of Kairouan in present-day Tunisia. He is credited with important advancements in the fields of algebra and trigonometry, and his works were widely studied across the Islamic world.
In the 16th century, Ikher al-Saghir was a prominent Sufi scholar and mystic from the city of Marrakesh in Morocco. He was revered for his teachings on Islamic spirituality and his influential writings on the principles of Sufism.
Another notable figure named Ikher was Ikher al-Din al-Suyuti, a 16th-century Egyptian scholar and polymath who made significant contributions to the fields of Islamic jurisprudence, hadith studies, and Arabic linguistics. Born in Cairo in 1445 CE, he authored numerous works and is considered one of the most prolific scholars in the history of the Islamic world.
While the name Ikher has its roots in the Berber language and culture, it has also been adopted and used among various Arab and Muslim communities throughout history, reflecting the cultural exchange and influences that have shaped the region over centuries.
People
Ikher + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ikher as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ikher: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ikher?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ikher 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Ikher a common name?
We classify Ikher as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ikher most popular?
The single biggest year for Ikher was 2013, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ikher is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Ikher in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ikher a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ikher 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 Ikher still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ikher 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 Ikher 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Ikher as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Ikher on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.