Fun Facts About the Name Kabir
- More than 3 thousand babies named Kabir: U.S. records list 3,601 babies given the name Kabir from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Kabir Mean?
Kabir is an Arabic name meaning "great" or "mighty." It comes from the Arabic word kabīr (كبير), built on the root k-b-r, which has to do with largeness, greatness, and importance.
In Islamic tradition, al-Kabīr ("the Great") is one of the names of God, and the word is used in the Qur'an as an attribute of God. The personal name is simply that word taken over unchanged, so its literal sense and its religious sense are the same.
The related form akbar is the comparative or elative ("greater, greatest"), the form behind the phrase Allāhu akbar. Kabir is the plain adjective rather than the comparative, so the two words are related but not interchangeable.
Kabir Name History & Origins
Because kabīr is an ordinary Arabic word for "great," it came into use as a personal name early in the Arabic-speaking world and in Islamic cultures more broadly, in the same way that other descriptive adjectives became names.
The name traveled with Arabic and with Islam into Persia, Turkey, and South Asia. Turkish uses Kebir (with the related elative Ekber), while Persian, Urdu, and Hindi-speaking regions use Kabir. It is found among Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs in South Asia.
The best-known bearer is the poet-saint Kabir, traditionally placed in the 15th century, whose Hindi verses are included in the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, and who is claimed by Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh traditions alike. His fame made the name widely familiar in South Asia, but the name is older than he is, since it comes from Arabic. Accounts of his life are traditional rather than documented.
How Popular is the Name Kabir?
Kabir recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2021. Its best rank was #837 in 2021.
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 | #999 | 227 | 0.0133% |
| 2024 | #937 | 245 | 0.0143% |
| 2023 | #1,020 | 214 | 0.0125% |
| 2022 | #973 | 232 | 0.0133% |
| 2021 | #837 | 284 | 0.0162% |
| 2020 | #863 | 262 | 0.0152% |
| 2019 | #885 | 248 | 0.0138% |
| 2018 | #1,000 | 207 | 0.0114% |
| 2017 | #1,145 | 166 | 0.0090% |
| 2016 | #1,099 | 179 | 0.0094% |
| 2015 | #1,154 | 163 | 0.0085% |
| 2014 | #1,370 | 125 | 0.0065% |
| 2013 | #1,888 | 75 | 0.0040% |
| 2012 | #1,684 | 91 | 0.0048% |
| 2011 | #2,219 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2010 | #2,198 | 60 | 0.0031% |
| 2009 | #2,023 | 69 | 0.0035% |
| 2008 | #2,249 | 59 | 0.0029% |
| 2007 | #2,670 | 46 | 0.0022% |
| 2006 | #2,462 | 50 | 0.0024% |
| 2005 | #2,318 | 51 | 0.0026% |
| 2004 | #2,398 | 47 | 0.0024% |
| 2003 | #2,701 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2002 | #2,618 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2001 | #2,403 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2000 | #2,706 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1999 | #3,065 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1998 | #3,648 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #2,940 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1996 | #4,745 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #3,766 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1994 | #4,954 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #3,921 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #3,841 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #3,541 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #4,084 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1989 | #6,574 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #4,305 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #3,856 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #5,103 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #4,510 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #5,258 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #4,707 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #6,017 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #4,336 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #4,317 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1979 | #5,111 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #4,002 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #4,856 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #5,274 | 6 | 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 Kabir Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Kabir's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kabir's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.