Fun Facts About the Name Imran
- More than 4 thousand babies named Imran: U.S. records list 4,557 babies given the name Imran from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Imran Mean?
Imran (Arabic ʿImrān, عِمْرَان) is the Arabic form of the biblical name Amram (Hebrew עַמְרָם, ʿAmrām), the father of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. The Hebrew name is commonly analyzed as a compound of ʿam, "people" or "nation," and ram, "exalted" or "high," giving the sense "exalted people" or "the people is exalted."
The meaning in Arabic use is less certain. The Arabic spelling of the name matches the root ʿ-m-r, which has to do with building, inhabiting, and length of life (ʿumr, "life"; ʿimāra, "construction"), so many Arabic sources gloss Imran as "prosperity," "flourishing," or "long life." That reading may reflect the name's later reshaping to fit an Arabic root rather than its origin in Hebrew, and the two explanations are often given side by side.
Imran Name History & Origins
The name is best known from the Quran, where ʿImrān is the father of Maryam (Mary). The third chapter of the Quran is titled Āl ʿImrān, "The Family of Imrān," and the name also appears in 3:33 - 36 and 66:12. In the Quran, Maryam is called "daughter of ʿImrān" and, in 19:28, "sister of Aaron."
Because the Hebrew Bible gives Amram as the father of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, these Quranic passages invited comparison between the two figures. A hadith reports that when the Christians of Najran questioned Mughira ibn Shuʿba about Mary being called "sister of Aaron," the Prophet Muhammad replied that people of earlier times used to be named after their prophets and righteous forebears. Muslim commentators have discussed at length whether the Quranic ʿImrān is the same person as the biblical Amram or a later figure who carried the same name; the question is not settled.
With the spread of Arabic and the growth of Muslim communities, the name passed into Persian, Urdu (عمران), Turkish (İmran), and the languages of Malaysia and Indonesia. It is used by Muslims in the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, and also by Arabic-speaking Christians, for whom it corresponds to the biblical Amram. A well-known modern bearer is Imran Khan, the Pakistani cricketer and former prime minister.
How Popular is the Name Imran?
Imran recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2023. Its best rank was #934 in 2018.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #969 | 237 | 0.0139% |
| 2024 | #972 | 231 | 0.0135% |
| 2023 | #936 | 241 | 0.0141% |
| 2022 | #999 | 223 | 0.0128% |
| 2021 | #1,040 | 207 | 0.0118% |
| 2020 | #1,011 | 206 | 0.0119% |
| 2019 | #1,153 | 169 | 0.0094% |
| 2018 | #934 | 225 | 0.0124% |
| 2017 | #1,056 | 189 | 0.0102% |
| 2016 | #1,038 | 191 | 0.0101% |
| 2015 | #1,078 | 183 | 0.0095% |
| 2014 | #1,128 | 170 | 0.0089% |
| 2013 | #1,129 | 161 | 0.0085% |
| 2012 | #1,300 | 133 | 0.0070% |
| 2011 | #1,298 | 132 | 0.0070% |
| 2010 | #1,931 | 73 | 0.0038% |
| 2009 | #1,597 | 100 | 0.0050% |
| 2008 | #2,109 | 65 | 0.0032% |
| 2007 | #2,004 | 70 | 0.0034% |
| 2006 | #2,213 | 58 | 0.0028% |
| 2005 | #2,066 | 60 | 0.0030% |
| 2004 | #2,261 | 51 | 0.0026% |
| 2003 | #2,327 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 2002 | #2,104 | 51 | 0.0026% |
| 2001 | #2,037 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 2000 | #2,398 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 1999 | #2,281 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1998 | #2,326 | 38 | 0.0020% |
| 1997 | #2,036 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 1996 | #1,624 | 60 | 0.0032% |
| 1995 | #2,000 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 1994 | #1,908 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 1993 | #1,646 | 54 | 0.0028% |
| 1992 | #1,649 | 53 | 0.0027% |
| 1991 | #1,730 | 47 | 0.0023% |
| 1990 | #1,988 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 1989 | #1,693 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 1988 | #1,412 | 55 | 0.0029% |
| 1987 | #1,473 | 49 | 0.0026% |
| 1986 | #1,548 | 43 | 0.0023% |
| 1985 | #1,684 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1984 | #1,542 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1983 | #1,698 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1982 | #1,685 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 1981 | #2,159 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1980 | #1,745 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1979 | #2,191 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1978 | #1,989 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1977 | #2,496 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1976 | #2,877 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1975 | #2,814 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1974 | #2,866 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #2,921 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #5,285 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #5,232 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #3,646 | 8 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Imran Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Imran's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Imran's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.