Shahid
Masculine · “witness”
Shahid comes from a root about seeing and saying what you saw. The Arabic verb means to witness, and the declaration of faith that a Muslim makes is built on the same three letters. From witnessing came testifying, and from testifying came the word for someone who died for what they testified to — so one English spelling covers two related Arabic words with a serious distance between them.
How old is the name Shahid?
Shahid first appears in US birth records in 1968 — 57 years ago. The typical Shahid alive today was born around 1996, making them about 29 years old. About 700 people named Shahid are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Shahid most popular?
Shahid peaked in 1979, reaching #2465 nationally. Today it ranks #12008, 9,543 places below that high. See the whole 1979 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From shahida to Shahid
The story of Shahid
The shahada, the statement that there is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger, is built on this root — it is a testimony, an act of witnessing. That gives the word a central place in Islamic vocabulary, and names built on it are used across the Muslim world, particularly in South Asia, where Shahid is common in Pakistan and India alike. American records receive it from South Asian and Arab families and, separately, from African American families choosing Arabic names in the later twentieth century, which is a pattern this name shares with several of its neighbors.
Meaningscholars disagree
witness, or one who died bearing witness
Two Arabic words are written the same way in English letters. Shāhid, with the long vowel first, is a witness — someone present who can testify. Shahīd, with the long vowel second, is a martyr. Arabic script and Arabic speech distinguish them clearly; the Roman alphabet as usually used does not, and a name spelled this way could be intended as either.
How the name formed
- shahida
- Shahid
Related forms: Shāhid · Shahid · Shahed · Şahit
Pronouncing Shahid
shah-HEED
Two syllables, stress at the back in the martyr reading; the witness reading puts it at the front, SHAH-hid. Both are current in English use, and the family decides which. English speakers unfamiliar with the name usually produce SHA-hid.
Nicknames for Shahid
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
- 1968
- Most boys named
- 200024 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2465reached in 1979
- Change vs 2024
- −37.5%5 in 2025, from 8
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.
Shahid in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Shāhid in Arabic — transliteration
- Shahid in Urdu — same name
- Shahed in Persian — same name
- Şahit in Turkish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York.
Shahids among us
people named Shahid are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 341,615 born in 2025 was named Shahid
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 Miriam test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Shahid's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Miriam climbed just as high around 1932, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Miriam's path sketches the road Shahid is walking now.
Shahid 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
Shahid beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Shahid in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It is a common and well-regarded name across South Asia and the Arab world.
- Both readings of the root are serious and dignified, so either intention is a good one.
- Six letters, two syllables, and no sound that English lacks.
- The martyr reading carries weight that some American readers will misread entirely, and it is worth being ready to explain.
- Shaheed, Shahed and Shahid all appear in English writing, so the spelling has to be dictated.
- The two possible pronunciations are both correct, which means a child will be called by both.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Shahid to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Shahid? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Shahid
Masculine · #12008 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Shahids are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Shahid are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Shahid in 2025?
- Shahid ranks #12008 among US boy names in 2025, with 5 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Shahid?
- About 1 in every 341,615 US boys born in 2025 was named Shahid — 5 in all.
- Will my child share the name Shahid with classmates?
- Shahid will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Shahid
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Joelle#12008 · Isaiha#12008 · Jaivon#12008 · Avonte#12008 · Cadin#12008 · Aydon#12008 · Daniell#12008 · Addam#12008
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Shahid? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Shahid and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle