Shamir
Masculine · “flint”
Shamir is given to both — 1,512 boys and 214 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Shamir is a hard word in Hebrew: flint, diamond, the point that cuts stone, and also a thornbush, and also a town in the hill country of Judah. Rabbinic legend gave the word a creature, the shamir, a worm or stone able to cut through rock, said to have shaped the blocks of Solomon's Temple without iron.
How old is the name Shamir?
Shamir first appears in US birth records in 1975 — 50 years ago. The typical Shamir alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 1,500 people named Shamir are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Shamir most popular?
Shamir peaked in 1983, reaching #1534 nationally. Today it ranks #4707, 3,173 places below that high. See the whole 1983 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Shamir
The word appears in the prophets as the hardest thing there is, a point of diamond that will not yield, and also as the thorn that takes over an abandoned field. It names a town in Joshua and a man in Chronicles. Later rabbinic literature turned the word into a creature, the shamir, a small worm or stone able to cut through anything, which Solomon was said to have used to shape the Temple stones without iron tools. The name came into modern use when Hebrew was revived as a spoken language and biblical word-names were taken up again.
Meaning
flint, or diamond; a hard cutting point
Hebrew shamir, used in the Bible for a hard stone or point, flint or diamond depending on the passage, and separately for a thorn or brier. Both senses are ancient and both are documented.
Pronouncing Shamir
shah-MEER
Two syllables, stress at the end, as in Hebrew. American English often moves the weight forward to SHAH-meer, and both are heard.
Nicknames for Shamir
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
- 1975
- Most boys named
- 201049 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1534reached in 1983
- Change vs 2024
- −27.6%21 in 2025, from 29
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.
Shamir in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- שמיר in Hebrew — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, Florida, Pennsylvania.
Shamirs among us
people named Shamir are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 81,337 born in 2025 was named Shamir
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 Niel test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Shamir's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Niel climbed just as high around 1958, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Niel's path sketches the road Shamir is walking now.
Shamir 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
Shamir beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Shamir in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A real Hebrew word with a documented range of meanings rather than a constructed name.
- The sound is simple for English speakers and needs no adjustment.
- It sits beside Amir, Samir and Zamir, so it is familiar without being common.
- Samir and Shamir are one letter apart and are constantly swapped.
- The clipped form Sham is an ordinary English word with an unhelpful meaning.
- It carries a clear Hebrew identity, which is a statement in some settings.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Shamir
Masculine · #4707 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Shamirs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,500 people named Shamir are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Shamir in 2025?
- Shamir ranks #4707 among US boy names in 2025, with 21 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Shamir?
- About 1 in every 81,337 US boys born in 2025 was named Shamir — 21 in all.
- Will my child share the name Shamir with classmates?
- Shamir will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Shamir
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ole#4707 · Shelton#4707 · Constantino#4707 · Adel#4707 · Cord#4707 · Zalman#4707 · Montez#4707 · Homer#4707
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Shamir? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Shamir and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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