UK boy's name
Amir
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "prince" or "leader".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Amir is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Amir popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #195, with 254 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 254 births.
This profile covers 3,924 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Amir is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 4,114 living people in the UK are called Amir. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Amir ranked #195 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 254 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 254 boys were registered as Amir.
- • Amir ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #256 in 2024.
- • About 4,114 living people in the UK are estimated to have Amir as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#195
2024
Births in 2024
254
Latest year
Peak year
2024
254 births
Estimated living
4,114
2026
Meaning
What does Amir mean?
The name Amir has its origins in the Arabic language, derived from the word "amara" which means "to command" or "to rule". It dates back to ancient times, with records of its usage found in historical texts and manuscripts from the Middle East and North Africa.
In Islamic history, Amir was a title given to military commanders or governors who held authority and power. The Quran, the holy book of Islam, mentions the word "amir" in several verses, referring to leaders and rulers. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Amir is found in the 7th century, when Amir ibn al-As was a prominent companion of the Prophet Muhammad and served as a military commander during the Muslim conquests.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Amir. One of the most famous was Amir Khusro (1253-1325), a renowned Persian poet and scholar who lived during the Delhi Sultanate in India. His literary works, which include poetry, prose, and riddles, significantly influenced the development of Indian classical music and literature.
Another prominent figure was Amir Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1336-1405), a Turko-Mongol conqueror who established the Timurid Empire in Central Asia. He was a skilled military strategist and is known for his ambitious campaigns, which expanded his empire from modern-day Turkey to India.
In the 16th century, Amir Khan Ummat Khan (1556-1625) was a prominent military commander and noble in the Mughal Empire. He served under the Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir and played a crucial role in several military campaigns.
During the 19th century, Amir Dost Muhammad Khan (1793-1863) was the founder and first Emir of the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan. He fought against the British during the First Anglo-Afghan War and is considered a national hero in Afghanistan.
Another notable figure was Amir Habibullah Khan (1872-1919), the Emir of Afghanistan from 1901 to 1919. He is credited with modernizing and reforming the country, introducing several social and educational reforms during his reign.
The name Amir has been widely used across the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia, reflecting its cultural and historical significance in these regions. While its usage has evolved over time, the name still carries connotations of authority, leadership, and command, rooted in its rich historical background.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Amir over time
The chart below shows babies named Amir registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Amir, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 254 births in 2024, compared with 254 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Amir by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Amir was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #241 | 1,007 | 5 |
| 2010s | #319 | 1,441 | 10 |
| 2000s | #303 | 1,082 | 10 |
| 1990s | #278 | 394 | 4 |
Geography
Where Amir is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Amir. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Amir ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #256 in 2024.
Across the UK
Amir in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#382 in 2024
38 years of NRS records, 193 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#256 in 2024
7 years of NISRA records, 27 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Amir
-
Amir Ibragimov
association football player
Russian-English footballer
2008-
-
Amir Wilson
actor
British actor
2004-
-
Amir Bourouh
athlete
English professional rugby league footballer
2001-
-
Amir El-Masry
actor
British-Egyptian actor
1990-
-
Amir Taaki
computer scientist; programmer; Esperantist
British-Iranian anarchist revolutionary, hacktivist, and programmer
1988-
-
Amir Khan
boxer
British boxer
1986-
-
Amir Amor
songwriter; lyricist
English musician
1985-
-
Amir Ali
basketball player
college basketball player (2001–2004) Saint Peter's
1981-
Related
Names similar to Amir
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Amir: questions and answers
How popular is the name Amir in the UK right now?
In 2024, Amir was ranked #195 for boys in England and Wales, with 254 births registered.
When was Amir most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 254 babies registered as Amir in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Amir?
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "prince" or "leader".
How many people are called Amir in the UK?
A total of 3,924 babies have been registered as Amir across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 193 more in Scotland and 27 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Amir most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Amir ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #256 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.