Mahira
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "brilliant" or "illustrious".
Name Census estimates that about 740 living Americans carry the first name Mahira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mahira today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mahira births was 2024 (85 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mahira. 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
740
~ 1 in 463,182 Americans
Peak year
2024
85 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,220
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Mahira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mahira from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 334 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mahira 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 Mahira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mahiras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. New York, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Mahira, while Washington, Pennsylvania, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mahira
The name Mahira has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "Muhayyira," which means "astonishing" or "amazing." This name gained prominence in the Middle East and North Africa during the medieval period.
In the 7th century, the name Mahira was mentioned in several Arabic literary works, including the poems of renowned poets such as Al-Mutanabbi and Abu Tammam. These poets often used the name as a metaphor to describe the beauty and grace of their beloved.
The earliest recorded example of the name Mahira can be traced back to the 9th century, when it was given to a princess of the Abbasid Caliphate. This princess, known as Mahira bint al-Mu'tasim, was renowned for her intelligence and her love for the arts.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Mahira. One of the most famous was Mahira al-Andalusiya (1058-1116), a renowned poet and scholar from Cordoba, Spain. Her poetry was widely celebrated and her works were studied in many madrasas (Islamic schools) across the Muslim world.
Another notable Mahira was Mahira Banu Begum (1516-1605), the wife of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. She played a significant role in the court of her husband and was known for her patronage of the arts and her philanthropic efforts.
In the 19th century, Mahira Khanum (1826-1908) was a prominent figure in the Ottoman Empire. She was the wife of Sultan Abdulmejid I and was known for her involvement in charitable organizations and her support for women's education.
Mahira Hussain (1921-2010) was a Pakistani politician and activist who fought for women's rights and democracy in her country. She was the first woman to be elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan and played a crucial role in the country's independence movement.
The name Mahira continues to be popular in many parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia, where it is often associated with beauty, grace, and intelligence.
People
Mahira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mahira as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mahira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mahira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 740 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mahira 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 463,182 US residents.
Is Mahira a common name?
We classify Mahira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 746 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mahira most popular?
The single biggest year for Mahira was 2024, when 85 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mahira is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mahira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mahira 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.