How common is the surname Zahir?

635 people in the United States had the surname Zahir in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 486,213 Americans. It ranked 35,447th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Zahir?

Ahmad Zahir, Afghan singer (1946-1979), followed by Abdul Zahir.

Where is the surname Zahir most common?

Wikidata records people named Zahir in Afghanistan.

Is the surname Zahir getting more or less common?

More common. 408 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 635 in 2010, up 56%.

Is Zahir also a first name?

Yes. Zahir is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Zahir

An Arabic surname, carried by 635 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex Z600 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Zahir is more common than 78.2% of them.

Origin

Arabic origin

Borrowed from Arabic ظَاهِر (ẓāhir), ظٰهِر (ẓāhir). The surname is mostly found in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

One of 179 Arabic surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 635 people named Zahir in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 486,213 Americans. That is up 56% since 2000, when the Census counted 408.

#35,447

rank among US surnames

635

people in 2010

0.2

per 100,000 Americans

+55.6%

change since 2000 (was #48,567)

Who is named Zahir

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

36% of people named Zahir identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 35% as white (not Hispanic) and 14% as two or more races.

Asian and Pacific Islander 36%
White (not Hispanic) 35%
Two or more races 14%
Black (not Hispanic) 12%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.9%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Zahirs

2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ahmad Zahir
Afghan singer (1946-1979)
Abdul Zahir
Afghan Prime Minister (1910-1982)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Zahir

Zahra

Zahir has the Soundex code Z600, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code Z600.

Other Arabic surnames

All 179 Arabic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Zahir come from?: Borrowed from Arabic ظَاهِر (ẓāhir), ظٰهِر (ẓāhir). The surname is mostly found in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
How common is the surname Zahir?: 635 people in the United States had the surname Zahir in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 486,213 Americans. It ranked 35,447th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Zahir?: In the 2010 Census, 36% of people named Zahir identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 35% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Zahir?: Ahmad Zahir, Afghan singer (1946-1979), followed by Abdul Zahir.
Where is the surname Zahir most common?: Wikidata records people named Zahir in Afghanistan.
Is the surname Zahir getting more or less common?: More common. 408 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 635 in 2010, up 56%.
Is Zahir also a first name?: Yes. Zahir is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.