Amir (also spelled Ameer or Emir; (, , , ) is a
masculine name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
of multi-lingual origin.
Meaning
In
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
the name means prince or royal. The word originally meant 'commander (of army)'. It later became a title given to a ruler's son, and hence 'prince'. In Arabic, the name comes from the same root as the word
emir
Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...
. In
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
() the name has the same meaning as the original in Arabic, meaning ‘prince”. In Pashto () the name comes to mean ‘leader’ or ‘boss’.
In
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
, when spelt the name means
crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...
(treetop). When spelt the name means a small sheaf or bundle (of grain, usually wheat or barley)
Usage
Amir is most common as a given name in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
.
Amir was among the five most popular names for Black newborn boys in the American state of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
in 2022 and again in 2023.
In the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
, Amir is popular among
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
in the former
Yugoslav nations. The name is a modification to the name
Emir
Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...
.
Given name
Amir
*
Al-Amir bi-Ahkami l-Lah
Abu Ali al-Mansur ibn al-Musta'li (; 31 December 1096 – 7 October 1130), better known by his regnal name al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah () was the tenth Fatimid caliph, ruling from 1101 to his death in 1130, and the 20th imam of the Musta'li Isma' ...
(1096–1130), tenth Fatimid Caliph and recognised as the 20th imam by the Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a sect
*
Amir Abdur-Rahim
Amir Abdur-Rahim (March 18, 1981 – October 24, 2024) was an American basketball coach and player who was the head coach of the South Florida Bulls men's basketball team. Prior to coaching at USF, he was the head coach at Kennesaw State from ...
(1981–2024), American basketball coach
*
Amir Khosrow Afshar (1919–1999), Iranian diplomat
*
Amir Ali (disambiguation), several people
*
Amir Amini (academic) (born 1965), American academic
*
Amir Amini (basketball) (born 1984), Iranian basketball player
*
Amir Bageria (born 2000), Canadian actor
*
Amir Bagheri (born 1978), Iranian chess grandmaster
*
Amir Bell (born 1996), American basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League
*
Amir Blumenfeld (born 1983), American-Israeli comedian/actor
*
Ameer Bux Bhutto (born 1954), Pakistani politician
*
Amir Celestin (born 1990), American basketball player
*
Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury (born 1949), politician and government minister
*
Amir Coffey (born 1997), American basketball player
*
Amir Derakh, American musician
*
Amir Eshel
Amir Eshel (; born 1959) is a former Israeli general who served as commander of the Israeli Air Force and served as Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense until January 2, 2022.
Biography
Amir Eshel was born in Jaffa. His father ...
(born 1959), Commander in Chief of the Israeli Air Force
*
Amir Farshad Ebrahimi (born 1975), former member of Ansar-e Hezbollah and currently a peace and human rights activist living in Germany
*
Amir Gal-Or (born 1962), Israeli businessman and the managing partner of Infinity Group
*
Amir Ganiel (1963–2018), Israeli swimming champion and record holder
*
Amir Ghalenoei (born 1963), Iranian football coach and former player
*
Amir Haddad
Laurent Amir Khlifa Khedider Haddad (; born 20 June 1984), better known as Amir Haddad () or simply as Amir, is a French people, French-Israeli singer-songwriter and actor. He took part in 2006 in the Israeli music competition ''Kokhav Nolad'', ...
(born 1984), Israeli French singer and songwriter
*
Amir Hamed (1962–2017), Uruguayan writer and translator of Lebanese descent
*
Amir Hamza (disambiguation), several people
*
Amir Hashemi (born 1966), Iranian footballer
*
Amir Mirza Hekmati, American alleged CIA operative
*
Amir Hinton (born 1997), American basketball player
*
Amir-Abbas Hoveyda
Amir-Abbas Hoveyda (; 18 February 1919 – 7 April 1979) was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from 27 January 1965 to 7 August 1977. He was the longest serving prime minister in Iran's history. He also ...
(1919–1979), Iranian economist and politician
*
Amir Jangoo (born 1997), Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies cricket player
*
Amir Johnson (born 1987), American basketball player
*
Amir Mahdi Jule (born 1980), Iranian screenwriter and actor
*
Amir Karara
Amir Karara (; born 10 October 1977) is an Egyptian actor and TV presenter. His real beginning came during his presentation of ''Star Maker'' in 2003. Karara is best known for his dramatic and action roles such as his roles in ''Karmouz War'' (20 ...
(born 1977), Egyptian actor
*
Amir Karić (born 1973), Bosnian-Slovenian footballer
*
Amir Reza Khadem
Amir Reza Khadem Azghadi (, born 10 February 1970) is an Iranian wrestler who won Olympic bronze medals in 1992 and 1996. He finished fourth at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and he won the 1991 World Championships, He also won a bronze medal at the ...
(born 1970), Iranian wrestler
*
Amir Khan (disambiguation), several people
*
Amir Khusrau
Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253 – 1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau, sometimes spelled as, Amir Khusrow or Amir Khusro, was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar, who lived during the period of the Delhi Sult ...
(1253–1325), Indian musician, scholar and poet
*
Amir Kror Suri (died 771), aka Jahan Pahlawan, Pashtun national history figure and a governor of Mandesh in Ghor
*
Amir Husain Al-Kurdi, 16th-century Kurdish governor of Jeddah, admiral of Amir Mahdi Jule (born 1980), Iranian screenwriter and actorthe Mamluk fleet
*
Amir Mohebbian (born 1962), Iranian politician, journalist and political analyst
*
Amir Mohebi (born 1981), Iranian footballer
*
Amir Mokri (born 1956), Iranian cinematographer
*
Amir Muchtari (born 1972), Israeli basketball player
*
Amir Muhammad (director) (born 1972), Malaysian film director and producer
* Amir Muhammad, individual suspected of involvement in the murder of
the Notorious B.I.G. (1997)
*
Amir Nachumi (born 1945), Israeli Air Force general
*
Amir Naderi
Amir Naderi (, , born 15 August 1946, in Abadan) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and photographer. He is best known for '' The Runner'' and '' Vegas: Based on a True Story''.
Career
Amir Naderi grew up in Abadan, a working-class port ...
(born 1946), Iranian film director
*
Amir Ohana
Amir Ohana (; born 15 March 1976) is an Israeli lawyer, former Shin Bet official and politician who has served as the Speaker of the Knesset since 2022, and as a member of the Knesset for Likud. He previously held the posts of Ministry of Just ...
(born 1976), Israeli politician
*
Amir Peretz
Amir Peretz (; born 9 March 1952) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Israeli Labor Party, Labor Party. A Knesset member almost continuously from 1988 to 2021, he has served as Ministry of Defense (Israel), ...
(born 1952), Moroccan-born Israeli politician
*
Amir Hossein Rabii (1930–1979), Iranian Air Force commander
*
Amir Sadollah (born 1980), American mixed martial arts fighter
*
Amir Siddiq (born 1997), American gridiron football player
*
Amir Slama, Brazilian fashion designer
*
Amir Spahić (born 1983), Bosnian footballer
*
Ameer Speed (born 1999), American football player
*
Amir Tibon (born 1989), Israeli journalist
*
Amir Vahedi (1961–2010), Iranian-born American professional poker player
*
Amir Wilson (born 2004), British actor
Ameer
*
Ameer Ali (disambiguation), several people
*
Ameer Sultan
Ameer Sultan (born 5 December 1967) is an Indian film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor, working in the Tamil film industry.
Early life and career
Ameer Sultan was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu India. He initially studied econom ...
(born 1967), Tamil film director
*
Ameer Vann
Ameer Emmanuel Vann (born September 22, 1996) is an American rapper. He is best known for being a member of music collective Brockhampton, until he was removed from the group in May 2018 due to sexual misconduct. After leaving Brockhampton, Van ...
(born 1996), former member of boy band
Brockhampton
*
Abdul Ameer Yousef Habeeb, Iraqi journalist
*
Amir Shurush (born 1984), Arab Israeli comedian
Fictional characters
*Amir, the protagonist in ''
The Kite Runner''
*Amir Kaffarov, an antagonist in ''
Battlefield 3
''Battlefield 3'' is a 2011 first-person shooter game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sixth main installment in the '' Battlefield'' series and a follow-up to '' Battlefield 2'' (2005). The game was released on Micr ...
'', a 2011 video game
*Amir Kazim, in ''
A Wedding'' (''Noces''), a 2016 film
Middle name
*
Khalid Amir Khan (1934–2020), Pakistani diplomat and politician
*
Mohammad Amir Khan (disambiguation), several people
*
Syed Ameer Ali (1849–1928), Indian scholar who taught at Aligarh Muslim University
*
Tengku Amir Hamzah (1911–1946), Indonesian poet
*
Tamino (musician)
Tamino-Amir Moharam Fouad (born 24 October 1996), known mononymously as Tamino, is a Belgian-Egyptian singer, musician and model. He is the grandson of Egyptian singer and movie star Muharram Fouad.
Early life
Tamino-Amir Moharam Fouad was b ...
(born 1996), Belgian-Egyptian singer, songwriter and musician
Surname
*
Eldad Amir (born 1961), Israeli Olympic competitive sailor
*
Eli Amir (born 1937), Israeli writer
*
Menashe Amir (born 1939), Iranian-born Israeli Persian-language broadcaster
*
Mohammad Amir
Mohammad Amir ( ; born 13 April 1992) is a Pakistani cricketer who played for the Pakistan national cricket team from 2008 to 2024. He plays for Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League. He is a left-arm fast bowler and a left-handed ...
(born 1992), Pakistani cricketer banned for spot-fixing
*
Nina Amir (born 1999), Israeli Olympic sports sailor
*
Yigal Amir
Yigal Amir (born May 31, 1970) is an Israeli right-wing extremist who assassinated the incumbent prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995, at the conclusion of a rally in Tel Aviv, Israel. At the time of the murder, he ...
(born 1970), assassin of Prime Minister of Israel
Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin (; , ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the prime minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–1977, and from 1992 until Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, his ass ...
*
Zainab Abdul Amir, Bahraini politician and journalist
Fictional characters
*
Yusuf Amir, a character from the ''Grand Theft Auto'' game series
See also
*
Amiri (surname) Amiri (: ''Amīrī'', , , ) is a surname of Persian language, Persian, Luri Language, Luri, Kurdish language, Kurdish, Hebrew language, Hebrew and Arabic Language, Arabic origins. It is primarily an Iranian surname that means "of Amir" or "of h ...
*
Emir (disambiguation)
*
Emir (name)
*
Aamir (given name)
*
Almir (given name)
Almir is a male given name.
In the Balkans, Almir is popular among Bosniaks in the former Yugoslavia, Yugoslav nations. The name is a modification to the name Amir (name), Amir, and it holds the same meanings of prince, ruler, commander, and chi ...
*
Amer (name)
*
Amira (name)
Amira is a feminine name.
In the Balkans, Amira is popular among Bosniaks in the former Yugoslavia, Yugoslav nations. The name comes from the male given name Amir (name), Amir.
Given name
* Amira Abdelrasoul, Canadian researcher and associate p ...
, female version
*
Aamir (disambiguation)
*
Hammira
*
Mirza
References
{{given name, type=both
Arabic-language surnames
Arabic-language masculine given names
Bosniak masculine given names
Bosnian masculine given names
Iranian masculine given names
Hebrew masculine given names
Pakistani masculine given names
Masculine given names
Modern names of Hebrew origin