Qadira
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "powerful, mighty".
Name Census estimates that about 56 living Americans carry the first name Qadira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Qadira today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Qadira births was 1999 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Qadira. 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 Qadira. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
56
~ 1 in 6,120,613 Americans
Peak year
1999
7 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2016 SSA rank
#15,795
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Qadira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Qadira from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 22 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Qadira remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Qadira 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 Qadira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Qadira
The name Qadira has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, originating in the Middle East and North Africa region. It is derived from the Arabic word "qadira," meaning "capable" or "powerful." The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times, with some linguistic experts tracing its origins back to the pre-Islamic era of the Arabian Peninsula.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Qadira can be found in ancient Arabic poetry and literature, where it was often used as a descriptor for strong and resilient women. In some historical accounts, the name is also associated with powerful female warriors and leaders who played significant roles in various conflicts and battles in the region.
Throughout history, the name Qadira has been borne by several notable figures. One of the most famous was Qadira bint Ata, a renowned 8th-century Arab poet and scholar who lived during the Abbasid Caliphate. Her poetic works, which touched on themes of love, nature, and spirituality, were highly praised and widely circulated during her lifetime.
Another prominent historical figure with the name Qadira was Qadira al-Masmudi, a 12th-century Andalusian mathematician and astronomer. She made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and is credited with developing innovative techniques for calculating the positions of celestial bodies.
In the 14th century, Qadira al-Isfahani was a celebrated Persian calligrapher and artist. Her intricate and beautiful calligraphic works were highly sought after by nobility and scholars alike, and several of her pieces are still preserved in museums and private collections around the world.
During the Ottoman Empire, Qadira Sultan was a prominent figure in the 16th century. As the wife of Sultan Selim II, she wielded significant influence and power within the imperial court and was known for her patronage of the arts and architecture.
In more recent times, Qadira Khawaja Noor was a prominent Pakistani poet and writer who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her literary works, which often explored themes of love, spirituality, and social commentary, were widely celebrated and helped to shape the literary landscape of the region.
People
Qadira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Qadira as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Q
Other first names starting with Q with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Qadira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Qadira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 56 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Qadira 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 6,120,613 US residents.
Is Qadira a common name?
We classify Qadira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 57 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Qadira most popular?
The single biggest year for Qadira was 1999, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Qadira is about 23 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 Qadira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Qadira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Qadira 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.
Is Qadira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Qadira 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 Qadira 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 the name Qadira?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.