Zahier
A masculine Arabic name meaning "bright" or "shining".
Name Census estimates that about 48 living Americans carry the first name Zahier. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zahier today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zahier births was 2022 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zahier. 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 Zahier. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
48
~ 1 in 7,140,715 Americans
Peak year
2022
9 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,836
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Zahier: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zahier from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 24 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
Zahier 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 Zahier 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 Zahier
The name Zahier is of Arabic origin and is derived from the root word "zahir," which means "bright" or "shining" in the Arabic language. This name has been in use since ancient times and is believed to have first emerged in the Middle East, where Arabic culture and language have been prevalent for centuries.
One of the earliest known references to the name Zahier can be found in ancient Arabic literature and poetry, where it was often used as a descriptive term to praise the beauty and radiance of the sun, moon, or other celestial bodies. In some Islamic texts, the name Zahier is also associated with the concept of enlightenment and spiritual illumination.
The first recorded use of the name Zahier as a personal name dates back to the 7th century AD, during the early years of the Islamic Golden Age. One of the earliest known individuals to bear this name was Zahier ibn Abu Sulma, a renowned Arab poet and scholar who lived in the 7th century AD and was renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and poetry.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Zahier. One such individual was Zahier al-Din Muhammad Babur (1483-1530), the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. Babur was a brilliant military strategist and a skilled poet, and his legacy has left a lasting impact on the cultural and political landscape of South Asia.
Another prominent figure named Zahier was Zahier al-Din al-Bayhaqi (1105-1169), a Persian historian and author who served as a courtier to the Seljuk sultans. His famous work, the "Tarikh-e Bayhaqi," is considered a masterpiece of Persian historiography and provides invaluable insights into the political and social dynamics of the Seljuk period.
In the realm of science, Zahier al-Din al-Razi (854-925 AD) was a celebrated Persian polymath and philosopher who made significant contributions to various fields, including medicine, alchemy, and physics. His extensive writings and treatises have had a profound influence on the development of scientific thought in the Islamic world and beyond.
Zahier al-Din al-Farisi (1260-1319 AD) was a renowned Persian astronomer and mathematician who is credited with numerous innovations in the field of astronomy, including the development of advanced astronomical instruments and the improvement of trigonometric calculations.
While the name Zahier has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has transcended geographical and cultural boundaries and has been adopted by various communities around the world, each adding their unique cultural nuances and interpretations to the name's meaning and significance.
People
Zahier + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zahier as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zahier: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zahier?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 48 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zahier 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 7,140,715 US residents.
Is Zahier a common name?
We classify Zahier as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 48 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zahier most popular?
The single biggest year for Zahier was 2022, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zahier is about 8 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 Zahier in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zahier a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zahier 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 Zahier still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zahier 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 Zahier 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 common is the name Zahier?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Zahier at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.