Emir
Meaning
Turkish form of Amir, "commander, prince" in Arabic; originally a title, the word English borrowed as emir
The story
Emir is the Turkish form of Amir, Arabic for "commander, prince". It began as a title, and English borrowed exactly this form as the loanword emir. As an American first name it is young and accelerating: about 54 boys in the 1970s, about 880 in the 2000s, about 1,600 in the 2010s, and about 2,800 so far this decade, already past the whole 2010s total with years remaining. Brazil's census holds its own small Emir line, older there, with a median age of 57; the American line has multiplied roughly fiftyfold since the 1970s. It is hard to buy more meaning per letter: four of them, and the job title they spell out has commanded armies. The nursery version commands bedtimes, for now.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Emir peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
1,953 people · the #5,195 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 100,000 · median age 57
Among people named Emir living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1960s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 27 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Emir
Most people given the name Emir in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Emir deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Emir truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Emir fits with your family’s names and surname.
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