unisex name
Amiri
uh-MEER-ee
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 5,047
the United States
#604
2025 births
Amiri is a unisex name of Arabic origin meaning "princely" or "of a commander". It is an adjectival form of amir, the word behind emir and admiral, and it names rank rather than any personal quality.
- Amiri is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in 2023, when 913 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,492 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1971.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Amiri over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 32 |
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 118 |
| 2000s | 368 |
| 2010s | 283 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,122 |
What Amiri means
Amiri means belonging to a prince or commander, from the Arabic amara, to command. The ending makes it relational — of the amir — rather than simply prince, which is amir itself.
Where Amiri comes from
Amiri comes from the Arabic amir, a commander or prince, with the adjectival ending -i that turns a noun into a relation to it. The root amara, to command, gives emir and, by a longer route, the English admiral, which reached Europe through amir al-bahr, commander of the sea. In Swahili and across East Africa Amiri is a common given name, borrowed with a great deal of other Arabic vocabulary. In American use it also carries Amiri Baraka, the poet born LeRoi Jones, who took the name in 1968. It appears in our records from 1971.
Amiri in use
Amiri charts in only three of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2023.
How popular is Amiri?
In 2025, Amiri was given to 738 babies in the United States, ranking #604 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Amiri 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.
Names that peaked alongside Amiri
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Amiri also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Amiri over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Amiri
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.
Amiri 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 Amiri
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Amiri — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Amiri
What does the name Amiri mean?
Princely or of a commander, from the Arabic amir with an adjectival ending.
Is Amiri related to Amir?
Yes. Amir is the noun, a commander or prince; Amiri is the adjective formed from it.
Is Amiri a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, though it is given more often to boys.
How popular is the name Amiri?
In 2025, Amiri was given to 738 babies in the United States, ranking #604 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Amiri?
Amiri has 3 syllables.
When was Amiri most popular?
Amiri peaked in 2023, when 913 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Amiri?
Amiri is usually shortened to Ami.
Is Amiri a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Amiri currently ranks #604 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.