Khidr
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "the green one".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Khidr. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Khidr today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Khidr births was 2023 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Khidr. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Khidr with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Khidr. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2023
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,274
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Khidr: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Khidr 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 Khidr during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Khidr
The name Khidr has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the root word "kh-d-r," which means "green" or "verdant." This root word is also associated with the concept of eternal life or immortality in Arabic culture.
The name Khidr is often associated with a legendary figure in Islamic tradition known as Al-Khidr or Al-Khidr, which is an Arabic name meaning "the Green One" or "the Ever-Green." This figure is believed to be a mysterious and immortal figure who appears throughout Islamic literature and folklore.
The earliest references to the figure of Al-Khidr can be found in the Qur'an, where he is mentioned in Surah Al-Kahf (Chapter 18, verses 60-82). In this passage, Al-Khidr is portrayed as a wise and knowledgeable figure who guides Moses on a spiritual journey and imparts profound wisdom to him.
Throughout Islamic history, various stories and legends have been woven around the figure of Al-Khidr, depicting him as a spiritual guide, an immortal sage, or a messenger of God. In Sufi and mystical traditions, Al-Khidr is revered as a symbol of divine knowledge and spiritual enlightenment.
While the name Khidr is primarily associated with the Islamic tradition, it has been used by people of various backgrounds and cultures throughout history. Some notable historical figures who bore the name Khidr include:
1. Khidr ibn Ali al-Husayni (c. 1460-1542), a renowned Sufi scholar and poet from Herat, Afghanistan.
2. Khidr Khan (c. 1530-1578), a Mughal military leader and governor of Multan and Kabul during the reign of Akbar the Great.
3. Khidr Ali Bey (1729-1790), a Mamluk leader and ruler of Egypt from 1766 to 1768.
4. Khidr Pasha (1796-1855), an Ottoman statesman and Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century.
5. Khidr Husayn (1876-1958), a prominent Arab nationalist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Syria in the 1940s.
Despite its Islamic origins, the name Khidr has also been adopted by people of various faiths and cultural backgrounds, particularly in regions where Arabic influence has been strong, such as parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
People
Khidr + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Khidr as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Khidr: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Khidr?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Khidr 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 Khidr a common name?
We classify Khidr 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 Khidr most popular?
The single biggest year for Khidr was 2023, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Khidr is about 3 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 Khidr in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Khidr a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Khidr 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 Khidr still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Khidr 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 Khidr 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 share the name Khidr?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.