Explore the Family Name Amir
The meaning of Amir
1. Arabic: from a personal name based on ʿamīr ‘prince, commander, master’. Amīr-ul-Muʿminīn ‘commander of the faithful’ was a title of Muslim caliphs and other rulers. This surname is found among both Muslims and Christians. Compare Ameer and Amer 1. 2. Arabic: from a personal name based on ʿāmir ‘prosperous, full of life, large, substantial’. See also Omar 1, compare Amer 1. 3. Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Arabic name (see above). Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Mohammad, Ali, Syed, Amir, Fatemeh, Javed, Karim, Mohamed, Nader, Ramy, Abdul, Achmad, Brahim. Jewish Dorit, Doron, Emanuel, Amnon, Arnon, Avner, Ehud, Galit, Haim, Irit, Meir.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Amir in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Amir has seen a significant increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 22,783, but by 2010, it had jumped to 17,274—a change of over 24 percent. The actual count of people with this surname also increased from 1,051 in 2000 to 1,639 in 2010, marking a growth of almost 56 percent. Similarly, the proportion of individuals named Amir per 100,000 people grew by 43.59 percent in this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #22,783 | #17,274 | 24.18% |
| Count | 1,051 | 1,639 | 55.95% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.39 | 0.56 | 43.59% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Amir
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Amir also saw changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of people identifying as Asian or Pacific Islander with this surname rose by nearly 36 percent, while there was a significant decline in those identifying with two or more races—down by over 70 percent. The proportion of White individuals with this surname decreased slightly by 3.53 percent. Meanwhile, the number of people identified as Black saw an increase of approximately 36 percent. Notably, the count of Hispanics and American Indian and Alaskan Natives with the surname Amir reached zero in 2010, revealing a complete drop-off compared to the percentages recorded in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 44.15% | 42.59% | -3.53% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 27.4% | 37.22% | 35.84% |
| Black | 9.42% | 12.81% | 35.99% |
| Two or More Races | 15.51% | 4.64% | -70.08% |
| Hispanic | 2.95% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.57% | 0% | 0% |