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Name Lineage

    The first name Akhtar

    A unisex name from Persian meaning “star”, “planet”, “un-stars”.

    2 syllables Unisex Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    Persian origin

    Akhtar means “star”, “planet”, “un-stars” in Persian.

    Borrowed from Hindustani (through Hindi अख़्तर (axtar) / Urdu اَخْتَر (axtar)) and/or directly from Classical Persian اَخْتَر (axtar, “star”), in turn from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭧𐭲𐭫 (ʾhtl /⁠axtar⁠/), an ancient backformation from 𐭠𐭯𐭠𐭧𐭲𐭫 (ʾpʾhtl /⁠abāxtar⁠/, “planet”), due to a mistaken folk etymology that the first element ab- was a negative suffix, since Zoroastrianism considers the planets to be nefarious "un-stars" due to their astronomically odd behavior. Doublet of Tara and sitara.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity

    Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

    Akhtar last appeared in the official list in 2006, given to 3 boys. It peaked in 1996, with 4 births (#2,357).

    0510 1996200020052010201520202025
    10
    babies named Akhtar, 1996–2025
    #4,052
    rank in 2006
    1996
    peak year

    Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Akhtar with other names.

    Nicknames and spellings

    Other spellings and forms

    • Akhter
    • Aktar
    • Akter

    Famous people named Akhtar

    4 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Akhtar Mansour
      2nd leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, 1968–2016
    • Akhtar Hameed Khan
      Development activist, social scientist (1914–1999)
    • Akhtar Hussain
      Field hockey player (1926–1987)
    • Akhtar Rasool
      Field hockey player, born 1954

    More Persian unisex names

    All 27 names of Persian origin

    Questions

    What does the name Akhtar mean?
    Akhtar means “star”, “planet”, “un-stars” in Persian.
    What is the origin of the name Akhtar?
    Borrowed from Hindustani (through Hindi अख़्तर (axtar) / Urdu اَخْتَر (axtar)) and/or directly from Classical Persian اَخْتَر (axtar, “star”), in turn from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭧𐭲𐭫 (ʾhtl /⁠axtar⁠/), an ancient backformation from 𐭠𐭯𐭠𐭧𐭲𐭫 (ʾpʾhtl /⁠abāxtar⁠/, “planet”), due to a mistaken folk…
    How popular is the name Akhtar?
    In 2006, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named Akhtar, ranking 4,052nd. Its peak was 1996, with 4 births.
    What are other spellings of Akhtar?
    Akhter, Aktar and Akter.
    Is Akhtar also a surname?
    Yes. Akhtar is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.