Zahra
Feminine · “radiant”
Zahra comes from an Arabic root that covers both shining and blossoming, and it has been carried for centuries as al-Zahrāʾ, "the Radiant" — the epithet of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. It is two syllables, front-loaded, ending on an open vowel, and it is spoken today in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Bosnian and Swahili-speaking families alike. In American records it is familiar without being crowded — most Zahras grow up as the only one in the room.
How old is the name Zahra?
Zahra first appears in US birth records in 1973 — 52 years ago. The typical Zahra is a kid of about 8 — this name's wave is very recent. About 9,300 people named Zahra are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zahra most popular?
Zahra peaked in 2025, reaching #538 nationally. Today it ranks #538, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Zahra appears on these lists:
Works in Arabic families too:
Where it comes from
From Arabic root z-h-r (to shine, to blossom) to Zahra
The story of Zahra
The name belongs to the Arabic root z-h-r, which produces words for shining and for flowering — a connection Arabic makes easily and English does not. Its best-documented use is as a title: Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ, "Fatima the Radiant," the Prophet Muhammad's daughter, revered across the Muslim world and especially central in Shia devotion, which is why Zahra has been given as a name in its own right for many centuries. From Arabic it spread with Islam into Persian (Zahrā), Turkish and Bosnian (Zehra), Urdu, and the Swahili coast. It reached the United States mainly through twentieth-century immigration from the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa, which is also why it shows up most strongly in the largest, most internationally settled states.
Meaningscholars disagree
radiant, shining — or flower, blossom
Both readings are genuine and both come from the same Arabic root z-h-r, which turns on brightness. زهراء (zahrāʾ) means bright, radiant, luminous; زهرة (zahra) means flower or blossom. Arabic keeps the two words apart by vowel length; the English spelling Zahra flattens them into one, so a family can honestly claim either.
How the name formed
- Arabic root z-h-rto shine, to blossom
- zahrāʾ / al-Zahrāʾ
- Zahra
- Zehra
Related forms: Zahrā · Zehra · Zehra · Zohra · زہرا (Zahra) · Zahara
Pronouncing Zahra
ZAH-ruh
Stress on the first syllable. In Arabic and Persian the middle h is sounded distinctly — closer to ZAH-hrah — and many families keep that in English. The Turkish and Bosnian form Zehra is said ZEH-rah.
Nicknames for Zahra
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
- 1973
- Most girls named
- 2025562 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #538reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +0.7%562 in 2025, from 558
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.
Zahra in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Zahrā in Persian — same name
- Zehra in Turkish — same name
- Zehra in Bosnian — same name
- Zohra in Maghrebi Arabic — spelling variant
- زہرا (Zahra) in Urdu — transliteration
- Zahara in Swahili / English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Zahras among us
people named Zahra are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 2,860 born in 2025 was named Zahra
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 Mara test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Zahra's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Mara climbed just as high around 1990, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Mara's path sketches the road Zahra is walking now.
Zahra 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 Zahra is headed
Zahra should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
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.
Zahra beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zahra in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Two syllables, five letters, stress where an English speaker will naturally put it — easy to say correctly on the first try.
- Spoken and recognized across Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Bosnian, Urdu and Swahili-speaking communities, so it travels without translation.
- A documented record stretching back to the seventh century as the epithet al-Zahrāʾ, which few names can match for continuity.
- Unambiguously a girl's name in every language that uses it, so no explaining required.
- The middle h is the weak point. Expect Zara, Zahara and Zara-with-an-h-somewhere-else on forms and coffee cups, and expect to correct it politely for a long time.
- Zara is also a very widely known clothing brand, so some people will hear that first and need a beat to catch the h.
- The link to Fatima al-Zahrāʾ carries real religious weight, particularly for Shia Muslim families. Worth knowing you are stepping into that association, whether or not it is yours.
- Uncommon enough in American classrooms that she will usually be the only Zahra — pleasant for most children, and a name short and clear enough that introductions stay easy.
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What they receive
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Zahra
Feminine · #538 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zahras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 9,300 people named Zahra are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Zahra in 2025?
- Zahra ranks #538 among US girl names in 2025, with 562 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zahra?
- About 1 in every 2,860 US girls born in 2025 was named Zahra — 562 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zahra with classmates?
- Zahra will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zahra
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Daleyza#538 · Lenora#538 · Jazlyn#537 · Marlee#536 · Cassidy#541 · Oaklee#535 · April#542 · Nellie#533
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zahra? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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