Find out how popular the last name Amir is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Amir.

Amir, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Amir surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Amir in America

Amir is the 17274th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Amir surname appeared 1,639 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Amir.

We can also compare 2010 data for Amir to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Amir

The surname Amir originated in the Arabic-speaking regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic word "amir," which means "prince" or "ruler." The name can be traced back to the medieval period when it was used as a title for various Islamic rulers and military commanders.

One of the earliest known references to the name Amir is found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. The word "amir" is mentioned several times in the Quran, often referring to leaders or commanders. Additionally, many historical texts and manuscripts from the Islamic Golden Age, spanning the 8th to 13th centuries, contain references to individuals bearing the title "amir."

In the 10th century, during the Abbasid Caliphate, there were several prominent figures with the title "amir." One notable example is Amir al-Mu'minin, which translates to "Commander of the Faithful," and was a title held by the Abbasid caliphs.

Another historical figure with the name Amir was Amir Khusrau (1253-1325), a renowned Persian poet and scholar from the Indian subcontinent. He was a prolific writer and is considered one of the greatest poets in the Persian language.

In the 14th century, there was Amir Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1336-1405), a powerful Turko-Mongol conqueror who established the Timurid Empire. His military campaigns and conquests significantly reshaped the political landscape of Central Asia and the Middle East.

During the 16th century, in the Ottoman Empire, there was Amir Husayn Mirza (1537-1598), a prince and military commander who played a significant role in the Ottoman-Safavid Wars. He is also known for his contributions to Persian literature.

The name Amir has also been associated with various places and regions historically connected to the Arabic-speaking world. For instance, the city of Amir Kabir in present-day Iran was named after the 19th-century Iranian reformer and statesman, Amir Kabir.

While the surname Amir has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic history, it has since been adopted by various ethnic and cultural groups across regions with historical ties to the Middle East and North Africa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Amir

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Amir.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Amir was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Amir has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Amir was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Amir, please contact us.

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