Sahmir
A masculine name of Persian origin meaning "dark-skinned" or "olive complexion".
Name Census estimates that about 219 living Americans carry the first name Sahmir. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sahmir today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sahmir births was 2021 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sahmir. 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
219
~ 1 in 1,565,088 Americans
Peak year
2021
19 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,390
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Sahmir: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sahmir 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 103 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sahmir remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sahmir 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 Sahmir during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sahmirs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sahmir
The name Sahmir has its origins in the Persian language, with roots dating back to ancient Persia, now modern-day Iran. It is believed to have emerged during the Sassanid Empire, which ruled the region from the 3rd to the 7th century CE.
Sahmir is derived from the Persian words "sah" meaning king or ruler, and "mir" which translates to prince or nobleman. The combination of these two words suggests that the name Sahmir was initially bestowed upon individuals of noble or royal descent.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Sahmir can be found in the Shahnameh, the epic Persian poem written by Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. In this literary masterpiece, Sahmir is depicted as a brave warrior and loyal companion to the legendary hero Rostam.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Sahmir. One such individual was Sahmir al-Basri, a renowned Arab scholar and poet who lived in the 8th century CE. His contributions to the field of Arabic literature and philosophy were widely celebrated during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another prominent figure was Sahmir ibn Ismail, a 12th-century Persian mathematician and astronomer. He is credited with making significant advancements in the study of celestial mechanics and contributing to the development of the astrolabe, an important instrument used for navigation and timekeeping.
In the 14th century, Sahmir Khan was a influential military commander who served under the Timurid Empire. His strategic leadership and bravery on the battlefield earned him a reputation as a formidable warrior, and he played a pivotal role in several military campaigns during that era.
During the 16th century, Sahmir Mirza, a member of the Safavid dynasty, was a prominent figure in the Persian court. He was known for his patronage of the arts and his support for cultural initiatives, contributing to the flourishing of poetry, literature, and architecture during that period.
The name Sahmir has also been associated with individuals from other cultures and regions, such as Sahmir al-Andalusi, an 11th-century scholar and physician from Andalusia (modern-day Spain). His works on medicine and philosophy were highly influential during the reign of the Caliphate of Córdoba.
People
Sahmir + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sahmir 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
Sahmir: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sahmir?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 219 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sahmir 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 1,565,088 US residents.
Is Sahmir a common name?
We classify Sahmir as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 221 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sahmir most popular?
The single biggest year for Sahmir was 2021, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sahmir is about 11 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 Sahmir in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sahmir a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sahmir 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 Sahmir still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sahmir 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 Sahmir 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 Sahmir?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.