Zihir
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "bright" or "radiant".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Zihir. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zihir today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zihir births was 2018 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zihir. 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 Zihir. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2018
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#14,094
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Zihir: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zihir 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 Zihir during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Zihir
The given name Zihir traces its origins to the Arabic language and culture. It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the medieval period, around the 7th to 10th centuries AD. The name is derived from the Arabic root word "zahir," which means "shining," "brilliant," or "radiant."
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Zihir can be found in ancient Arabic texts and manuscripts from the Islamic Golden Age. It was a name commonly given to children during this time, reflecting the cultural and religious significance of light and radiance in Islamic teachings.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zihir. One of the earliest known figures was Zihir al-Muqaddasi, a renowned Arab geographer and travel writer who lived from 945 to 1000 AD. His works, such as "The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions," provided valuable insights into the geography and cultures of the Islamic world during that period.
Another historical figure was Zihir al-Din al-Baydawi, a prominent Islamic scholar and philosopher who lived from 1286 to 1319 AD. He is best known for his influential commentary on the Quran, titled "Anwar al-Tanzil wa Asrar al-Ta'wil," which became a widely studied work in the Islamic world.
In the realm of literature, Zihir al-Din Nakhshabi was a celebrated Persian poet and mystic who lived from 1236 to 1320 AD. His poetic works, infused with Sufi spiritual themes, have been cherished for centuries and have influenced many subsequent poets in the region.
During the Ottoman Empire, Zihir Pasha was a prominent Grand Vizier who served under Sultan Murad IV from 1632 to 1638 AD. He played a significant role in the administration and governance of the empire during a tumultuous period.
In more recent times, Zihir ibn Awad Al-Tamimi was a renowned tribal leader and poet from Saudi Arabia, born in 1891 and lived until 1981. His poetry celebrated the traditions and values of the Bedouin culture, and he was widely respected for his wisdom and leadership abilities.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who have borne the name Zihir, each leaving a lasting impact in their respective fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of the regions they hailed from.
People
Zihir + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zihir 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
Zihir: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zihir?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zihir 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Zihir a common name?
We classify Zihir as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zihir most popular?
The single biggest year for Zihir was 2018, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zihir 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 Zihir in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zihir a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zihir 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 Zihir still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zihir 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 Zihir 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 Zihir as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.