Mehr
An Arabic name meaning "love" or "affection".
Name Census estimates that about 289 living Americans carry the first name Mehr. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mehr today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mehr births was 2019 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mehr. 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
289
~ 1 in 1,186,001 Americans
Peak year
2019
24 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,818
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Mehr: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mehr from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 129 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mehr remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mehr 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 Mehr during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mehrs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mehr
The name Mehr traces its origins to the Persian language, where it means "kind," "loving," or "affectionate." It has been a popular name in Iran and other regions influenced by Persian culture for centuries.
In ancient Persia, Mehr was associated with the Zoroastrian goddess of love and friendship, Mithra. The name appears in various ancient Persian texts and inscriptions, reflecting its deep roots in the region's history and mythology.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mehr was Mehr Narseh, a prominent Iranian nobleman and military commander who lived in the 7th century AD during the Sassanid Empire. He played a crucial role in the defense of Persia against the Arab invasions.
In the 11th century, Mehr-e Uddat al-Kuttab, also known as Mehr Qawwam al-Dawlah, was a renowned Persian calligrapher and poet. He is celebrated for his contributions to the art of calligraphy and his beautiful poetic works.
During the Safavid Dynasty in the 16th century, Mehr Ali Sani, a prominent Persian architect, designed and constructed several magnificent mosques and architectural masterpieces, including the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan.
In the 19th century, Mehr Ali Khan Hizam al-Saltanah was a influential Iranian statesman and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Persia from 1878 to 1892.
Another notable figure with the name Mehr was Mehr Angiz Khanum, a 19th-century Iranian painter and calligrapher. She was one of the few women artists of her time and is celebrated for her intricate and beautiful works of art.
The name Mehr has also been used by various poets, writers, and scholars throughout Persian history, reflecting its cultural significance and literary associations.
People
Mehr + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mehr 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
Mehr: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mehr?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 289 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mehr 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 1,186,001 US residents.
Is Mehr a common name?
We classify Mehr as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 292 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mehr most popular?
The single biggest year for Mehr was 2019, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mehr is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mehr a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mehr 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.