NameCensus.

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

Amir
064127191254199620102024

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.

Scotland
9
Northern Ireland
7

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

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.