Boy · #3,763 in 2026

Mehdi

Mehdi is a common Arabic masculine given name, meaning "rightly guided". People with the name Mehdi generally originate from Iran, with other notable countries of origin being India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, France, Morocco, Algeria, United States of America.

  • Persian
  • Azerbaijani
  • Arabic
Current Rank
#3,763
Peak Rank
#2,465 (2012)
Total Babies
1K
5-Yr Trend
+48%
1976
First Year
2026
Last Year
2012
Peak Year
#2465
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
51
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Mehdi

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Mehdi is a common Arabic masculine given name, meaning "rightly guided". People with the name Mehdi generally originate from Iran, with other notable countries of origin being India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, France, Morocco, Algeria, United States of America.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Persian
  • Azerbaijani
  • Arabic

The Story of Mehdi

American parents first put Mehdi on the record books as a baby boy name in 1976, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2012, when 37 Mehdis were born — ranking #3,057 that year. About 27% of every Mehdi on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Mehdi ranks #3,763 for baby boys with 30 births, rising sharply (+48% over the past five years). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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Top 10
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No data

Variants & Related Forms of Mehdi

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Mehdi. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Mehdi

Phonetically similar names — useful when Mehdi is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mehdi

What does the name Mehdi mean?
Mehdi is a common Arabic masculine given name, meaning "rightly guided". People with the name Mehdi generally originate from Iran, with other notable countries of origin being India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, France, Morocco, Algeria, United States of America.
What is the origin of the name Mehdi?
Mehdi has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Persian, Azerbaijani, Arabic.
How popular is Mehdi in 2026?
In 2026, Mehdi ranks #3,763 among boys' names in the U.S., with 30 babies given the name that year.
When was Mehdi most popular?
Mehdi reached its peak popularity in 2012, ranking #2,465 that year with 37 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Mehdi most popular?
Mehdi has historically been most popular in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Mehdi.
Is Mehdi a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Mehdi is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Mehdi?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Mehdi include Nollie, Okie, Canuto. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Mehdi?
Common variants and related forms of Mehdi include Mahdi. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Mehdi

Mehdi is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1976 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Mehdi's peak popularity came in 2012 when it ranked #2,465. Use the chart and map above to compare Mehdi's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.