girl's name
Amira
a-MEER-a (English)
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 45,746
the United States
#132
2025 births
Amira is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "princess" or "commander." It is the feminine of amir, the same word behind emir, and there is a separate Hebrew Amira meaning "speech" or "sheaf of corn."
- Amira is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in 2024, when 2,187 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,529 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1963.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Amira Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 24 |
| 1970s | 257 |
| 1980s | 595 |
| 1990s | 1,563 |
| 2000s | 4,635 |
| 2010s | 8,199 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,341 |
What Amira Means
Amira means princess, or more literally one who commands. The Arabic sense is active authority rather than rank inherited at birth: an amir leads, and the feminine carries the same force.
Where Amira Comes From
Amira is the feminine of the Arabic amir, commander or prince, from amara, to command — the word English borrowed as emir, and which appears in admiral by way of amir al-bahr, commander of the sea. A distinct Hebrew name shares the spelling: Amirah, from amar, to say, meaning speech or utterance, with a secondary agricultural sense of a sheaf of corn. The two are unconnected, which is why reference works list both meanings without explaining the jump between them.
Amira in Use
Birth records show Amira peaking in 2024 and still rising, at 124 in England and Wales. It first appears in our United States records in 1963. The two competing meanings, princess and sheaf of corn, are a good illustration of why a single-line meaning entry is often hiding two separate names.
How Popular Is Amira?
In 2025, Amira was given to 2,168 babies in the United States, ranking #132 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Amira Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Amira Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Amïra | Amïra is a rare spelling of Amira, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Amira
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Amira Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Amira over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Amira
- English a-MEER-a /əˈmɪərə/
2 nicknames for Amira
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Amira in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Amira
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Amira — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Amira
What does the name Amira mean?
Amira means "princess" or "commander," the feminine of the Arabic amir.
Is Amira Arabic or Hebrew?
Both, separately. The Arabic Amira means princess; an unrelated Hebrew Amirah means speech or a sheaf of corn.
Is Amira related to the word emir?
Yes — emir is the same word, amir, meaning commander. Admiral comes from it too.
How popular is the name Amira?
In 2025, Amira was given to 2,168 babies in the United States, ranking #132 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Is Amira a girl's or a boy's name?
Amira is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Amira?
Amira has 3 syllables.
When was Amira most popular?
Amira peaked in 2024, when 2,187 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Amira?
Amira is usually shortened to Ami and Mira.
Is Amira a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Amira currently ranks #104 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.