Zahra
A feminine Arabic name meaning "radiant", "brilliant", or "flower".
Name Census estimates that about 8,717 living Americans carry the first name Zahra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zahra today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zahra births was 2024 (556 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zahra. 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
- • Zahra is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
8.7K
~ 1 in 39,320 Americans
Peak year
2024
556 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#543
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Zahra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zahra from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 3,645 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zahra remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zahra 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 Zahra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zahras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 35 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Zahra, while Nevada, Delaware, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 204 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zahra
The name Zahra has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "zahra," meaning "flower" or "blossom," symbolizing beauty, purity, and radiance.
In Islamic tradition, Zahra holds a significant place as it was the honorific title bestowed upon Fatimah al-Zahra, the beloved daughter of Prophet Muhammad. She is revered by Muslims as an embodiment of virtue, knowledge, and spiritual enlightenment.
The earliest recorded use of the name Zahra can be found in various Islamic texts and historical records from the 7th century onwards, including the Quran, Hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad), and biographical accounts of the Prophet's family.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Zahra was Fatimah al-Zahra herself (615-632 CE), the daughter of Prophet Muhammad and his first wife, Khadijah. She is regarded as a role model for Muslim women and is highly respected for her piety, wisdom, and unwavering dedication to her faith.
Another prominent figure was Zahra Khatun (1554-1600), the wife of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor of India. She played a significant role in promoting education and cultural activities during the Mughal period.
In the 9th century, Zahra al-Khazrajiyya (d. 850 CE) was a renowned Muslim poet and scholar from Medina, known for her contributions to Arabic literature and her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, Zahra al-Andalusiyya (d. 1030 CE) was a celebrated Andalusian poet and scholar who gained recognition for her literary works and her mastery of various subjects, including theology, philosophy, and astronomy.
In more recent history, Zahra Rahnavard (born 1945) is an Iranian scholar, artist, and political activist who served as the first female Chancellor of Al-Zahra University in Tehran and played a prominent role in the Iranian reform movement.
These are just a few examples of notable figures throughout history who bore the name Zahra, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of the societies they lived in.
People
Zahra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zahra 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
Zahra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zahra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,717 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zahra 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 39,320 US residents.
Is Zahra a common name?
We classify Zahra as "Rare". It ranks above 97.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 8,831 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zahra most popular?
The single biggest year for Zahra was 2024, when 556 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zahra is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zahra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zahra 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.