Sahira
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "charming" or "fascinating".
Name Census estimates that about 574 living Americans carry the first name Sahira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sahira today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sahira births was 2023 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sahira. 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 Sahira with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
574
~ 1 in 597,133 Americans
Peak year
2023
31 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,334
Tracked since 1985
Census
Sahira in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 861 people with the first name Sahira, which placed it at #13,877 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
#13,877
National first-name rank
People counted
861
861 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
51.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sahira
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sahira is Hispanic at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (23.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%). 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 Sahira 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 Sahira at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino51.9% · 447
- White23.5% · 202
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.6% · 126
- Black or African American7.1% · 61
- Two or more races2.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Sahira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sahira from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 181 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Sahira remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sahira 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 Sahira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sahiras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Sahira, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sahira
The name Sahira has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "sahir," which means "enchanting" or "captivating." The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in the Middle East and North Africa.
Sahira was a relatively common name among Arab communities, particularly in regions like Egypt, Syria, and the Arabian Peninsula. The name's association with enchantment and charm made it a popular choice for parents who wished to bestow their daughters with a sense of beauty and allure.
While there are no direct references to the name Sahira in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that the name was inspired by the Arabic concept of "sihr," which refers to magic or enchantment. This connection likely contributed to the name's alluring connotations.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Sahira can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab poet and philosopher, Al-Mutanabbi, who lived in the 10th century CE. In his collection of poems, he mentions a woman named Sahira, though little is known about her identity.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sahira. One such person was Sahira Banu Begum (1564-1627), a Mughal princess and the daughter of Emperor Akbar. She was known for her artistic talents and her patronage of the arts.
Another prominent figure with this name was Sahira El-Nakhala (1923-1968), an Egyptian actress and singer who gained fame during the mid-20th century. She was celebrated for her performances in numerous Egyptian films and her contributions to the country's vibrant entertainment industry.
In the realm of literature, Sahira Khalil (1957-present) is a renowned Egyptian writer and novelist. Her works often explore themes of identity, gender, and societal norms, earning her critical acclaim and numerous literary awards.
The name Sahira also gained recognition in the field of music through Sahira Ami (1937-2021), a Pakistani classical singer and renowned exponent of the Hindustani classical music tradition. Her performances and recordings earned her widespread acclaim and numerous accolades.
Lastly, Sahira Kazmi (1962-present) is a prominent Pakistani actress and television host who has made significant contributions to the entertainment industry in her country. Her diverse roles and charismatic presence have made her a household name in Pakistan.
People
Sahira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sahira as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sahira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sahira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 574 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sahira 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 597,133 US residents.
Is Sahira a common name?
We classify Sahira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 583 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sahira most popular?
The single biggest year for Sahira was 2023, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sahira is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sahira in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 861 people with the name Sahira, or 0.29 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,877 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 Sahira 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 Sahira?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sahira appears almost entirely female. Of the 857 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Sahira?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sahira is Hispanic at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (23.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%). 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 Sahira most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Sahira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (447 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 Sahira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sahira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sahira 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 Sahira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sahira 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 Sahira 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 Americans are named Sahira?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.