Irshad
Guide to the right path, spiritual guidance.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Irshad. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Irshad today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Irshad births was 1977 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Irshad. 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 Irshad. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1977
5 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1977 SSA rank
#6,239
Tracked since 1977
Census
Irshad in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 512 people with the first name Irshad, which placed it at #20,244 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
#20,244
National first-name rank
People counted
512
512 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
86.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Irshad
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Irshad is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Irshad 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 Irshad at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.3% · 442
- Black or African American9.2% · 47
- Two or more races2.0% · 10
- White1.4% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Popularity
Irshad: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Irshad 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 Irshad during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Irshad
The name Irshad is derived from the Arabic language and has its roots in the Islamic tradition. It is believed to have originated in the Middle East region during the 7th century CE, around the time of the birth of Islam.
The name Irshad is derived from the Arabic word "irshad," which means guidance, direction, or instruction. It is often associated with the concept of spiritual guidance and enlightenment in Islamic teachings.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Irshad can be found in various Islamic texts and scriptures, where it is mentioned in relation to the concept of guidance and the path to righteousness. The name gained popularity among Muslims as a symbolic representation of their faith and their commitment to following the teachings of Islam.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Irshad. One such person was Irshad Husain (1888-1969), an Indian Muslim scholar and politician who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. He served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and contributed to the drafting of the Indian Constitution.
Another prominent figure with the name Irshad was Irshad Kamil (1914-1994), an Iraqi poet and writer who is considered one of the most influential literary figures in modern Arabic literature. His works explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition, and he was widely celebrated for his poetic mastery.
In the realm of religion, Irshad Hussain Khan (1924-2002) was a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian from Pakistan. He dedicated his life to the study and propagation of Islamic teachings and authored numerous books on various aspects of Islamic jurisprudence and philosophy.
Irshad Manji (born 1968) is a Canadian author, journalist, and activist who has gained recognition for her efforts in promoting progressive interpretations of Islam and advocating for women's rights within the Muslim community. Her book "The Trouble with Islam Today" sparked heated debates and discussions around the world.
Irshad Ahmed (born 1956) is a Pakistani-American scientist and engineer who has made significant contributions to the field of nanotechnology. He is the founder and former director of the Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute at Northwestern University and is known for his pioneering work in developing nanoscale devices and sensors.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Irshad throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and disciplines, reflecting the rich cultural and historical significance of this name.
People
Irshad + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Irshad 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
Irshad: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Irshad?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Irshad 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Irshad a common name?
We classify Irshad as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Irshad most popular?
The single biggest year for Irshad was 1977, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Irshad is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Irshad in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 512 people with the name Irshad, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,244 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 Irshad 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 Irshad?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Irshad on both sides of the split. Of the 513 people counted with this name, 370 were male (72.1%) and 143 were female (27.9%). 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 Irshad?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Irshad is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Irshad most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Irshad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (442 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 Irshad in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Irshad a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Irshad 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 Irshad still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Irshad 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 Irshad 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 have Irshad as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Irshad, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.