Haider
Masculine · “lion”
Haider is a lion in Arabic, and it was Ali's nickname — the Prophet's cousin, who was called the lion of God.
How old is the name Haider?
Haider first appears in US birth records in 1985 — 40 years ago. The typical Haider is a kid of about 10 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,100 people named Haider are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Haider most popular?
Haider peaked in 2025, reaching #2056 nationally. Today it ranks #2056, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From haydar to Haider
The story of Haider
Ali was the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, the fourth caliph, and the central figure of Shia Islam; Asadullah, 'lion of God', and Haydar are both his titles. Arabic has many words for a lion, each with a different shade, and haydar suggests bulk and power. The name is in current American use.
Meaning
lion
From the Arabic haydar, one of several words for a lion, carrying a sense of thickset strength. It is a traditional epithet of Ali ibn Abi Talib, whose mother is said to have named him Haydara. The Arabic is documented and the association well attested.
How the name formed
- haydar
- Haider
Related forms: حيدر · Haider · Haydar
Pronouncing Haider
HY-dur
Two syllables, stress on the first. Arabic gives the h a fuller breath than English.
Nicknames for Haider
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1985
- Most boys named
- 202572 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2056reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +4.3%72 in 2025, from 69
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Haider in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- حيدر in Arabic — transliteration
- Haider in Urdu — same name
- Haydar in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, Texas, California.
Haiders among us
people named Haider are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 23,723 born in 2025 was named Haider
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Ankit test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Haider's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Ankit climbed just as high around 1986, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Ankit's path sketches the road Haider is walking now.
Haider sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Haider is headed
Haider looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 15% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Haider beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Haider in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The lion meaning is concrete and carries a first-rate historical bearer.
- That Arabic has several distinct words for a lion is a genuinely good detail.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk in English.
- It reads as specifically Muslim and often Shia.
- Several transliterations are in circulation.
- Haider and the German Heider look alike and are unrelated.
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What they receive
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Haider
Masculine · #2056 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Haiders are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Haider are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Haider in 2025?
- Haider ranks #2056 among US boy names in 2025, with 72 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Haider?
- About 1 in every 23,723 US boys born in 2025 was named Haider — 72 in all.
- Will my child share the name Haider with classmates?
- Haider will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Haider
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Aylan#2056 · Hernan#2056 · Alfie#2056 · Jamar#2056 · Farhan#2056 · Lake#2056 · Everardo#2056 · Keoni#2056
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Haider? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Haider and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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