UK boy's name
Mahdi
Of Arabic origin, meaning "guided one" or "rightly-guided".
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.
Mahdi is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Mahdi popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #678, with 54 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 60 births.
This profile covers 1,124 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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.
The latest count is about 90% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,128 living people in the UK are called Mahdi. 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
- • Mahdi ranked #678 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 54 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2007, when 60 boys were registered as Mahdi.
- • Mahdi ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #728 in 2023.
- • About 1,128 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mahdi as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#678
2024
Births in 2024
54
Latest year
Peak year
2007
60 births
Estimated living
1,128
2026
Meaning
What does Mahdi mean?
The name Mahdi has its origins in Arabic, derived from the root word "هدى" (hada), which means "to guide" or "to lead". It is associated with the Islamic concept of a divinely guided leader or Messiah who will establish justice and peace on Earth.
In Islamic tradition, the Mahdi is a central figure who is believed to emerge during a time of great turmoil and corruption. The name has deep religious and spiritual connotations, representing guidance, righteousness, and the restoration of justice.
The earliest recorded use of the name Mahdi can be traced back to the 7th century, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the early Islamic era. It gained particular significance within the Shia Islamic tradition, where the belief in the coming of the Mahdi is a fundamental tenet.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Mahdi was Muhammad al-Mahdi (869-934 CE), the 12th and final Imam of the Twelver Shia tradition. He is believed to have gone into occultation (concealment) at a young age and is expected to return as the promised Mahdi to establish a just and righteous society.
Another prominent figure was Ubaidullah al-Mahdi (873-934 CE), the founder of the Fatimid Caliphate in North Africa and Egypt. He claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad and established a powerful dynasty that ruled for over two centuries.
In more recent history, Mahdi Ahmad (1835-1885), a Sudanese religious leader, proclaimed himself as the Mahdi and led a successful uprising against the Turco-Egyptian rule in Sudan, establishing the Mahdist State.
The name Mahdi has also been borne by other notable individuals throughout history, such as Mahdi Ghali Qinawi (1835-1897), an Egyptian scholar and writer, and Mahdi Amin Al-Husayni (1853-1935), a prominent Palestinian Arab nationalist and religious leader.
While the name Mahdi has its roots in Islamic tradition, it has also gained popularity across various cultures and regions, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, where it is often chosen for its profound spiritual and religious significance.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Mahdi over time
The chart below shows babies named Mahdi 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 Mahdi, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 54 births in 2024, compared with 60 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mahdi by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mahdi 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 | #769 | 217 | 5 |
| 2010s | #687 | 489 | 10 |
| 2000s | #755 | 348 | 10 |
| 1990s | #871 | 70 | 4 |
Geography
Where Mahdi is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mahdi. 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.
Mahdi ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #728 in 2023.
Across the UK
Mahdi in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#728 in 2023
4 years of NRS records, 12 total registered
Related
Names similar to Mahdi
- Matthew 80,931
- Mohammed 74,321
- Muhammad 72,235
- Max 59,807
- Michael 47,075
- Mason 38,935
- Mohammad 25,910
- Morgan 15,994
- Muhammed 11,527
- Mark 11,336
- Marcus 11,257
- Maxwell 10,006
FAQ
Mahdi: questions and answers
How popular is the name Mahdi in the UK right now?
In 2024, Mahdi was ranked #678 for boys in England and Wales, with 54 births registered.
When was Mahdi most popular?
The peak year on record was 2007, with 60 babies registered as Mahdi in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Mahdi?
Of Arabic origin, meaning "guided one" or "rightly-guided".
How many people are called Mahdi in the UK?
A total of 1,124 babies have been registered as Mahdi across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 12 more in Scotland.
Where is Mahdi most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Mahdi ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #728 in 2023. 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.