Mahdi
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- MAH-dee
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #718 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,621 for boys
Mahdi is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “rightly guided”. In 2025 it ranked 718th for boys in the UK (54 babies) and 1,621st for boys in the US (104 babies).
What does Mahdi mean?
Arabic
“rightly guided”
In Islamic tradition the Mahdi is a redeemer expected to appear before the end of time.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Mahdi a girl's or a boy's name?
Mahdi is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 54 boys in the UK and 104 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Mahdi in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 718th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 54 about 1 in 5,600 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 22% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 54 boys in the UK were named Mahdi, making it the 718th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 852nd. Its busiest year was 2007, with 61 boys.
Half of all the boys named Mahdi in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2019. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 668th in England and Wales.
Mahdi in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 54 | #718 |
| 2024 | 54 | #720 |
| 2023 | 53 | #722 |
| 2022 | 39 | #883 |
| 2021 | 39 | #878 |
| 2020 | 39 | #852 |
| 2019 | 49 | #745 |
| 2018 | 44 | #807 |
| 2017 | 45 | #817 |
| 2016 | 56 | #691 |
| 2015 | 46 | #776 |
| 2014 | 50 | #719 |
| 2013 | 52 | #708 |
| 2012 | 55 | #688 |
| 2011 | 50 | #710 |
| 2010 | 49 | #711 |
| 2009 | 52 | #672 |
| 2008 | 52 | #667 |
| 2007 | 61 | #566 |
| 2006 | 41 | #729 |
| 2005 | 40 | #720 |
| 2004 | 24 | #954 |
| 2003 | 30 | #773 |
| 2002 | 24 | #846 |
| 2001 | 17 | #1,008 |
| 2000 | 13 | #1,165 |
| 1999 | 21 | #836 |
| 1998 | 15 | #1,016 |
| 1997 | 16 | #973 |
| 1996 | 20 | #797 |
How popular is Mahdi in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,621st among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 104 about 1 in 16,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 35% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 104 boys in the US were named Mahdi, making it the 1,621st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,167th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 107 boys. It first appears in the records in 1959.
Half of all the boys named Mahdi in the US since 1880 were born between 2003 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Mahdi in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 104 | #1,621 |
| 2024 | 107 | #1,599 |
| 2023 | 86 | #1,851 |
| 2022 | 79 | #1,950 |
| 2021 | 67 | #2,133 |
| 2020 | 64 | #2,167 |
| 2019 | 82 | #1,842 |
| 2018 | 74 | #1,980 |
| 2017 | 88 | #1,746 |
| 2016 | 70 | #2,028 |
| 2015 | 98 | #1,625 |
| 2014 | 72 | #1,978 |
| 2013 | 93 | #1,635 |
| 2012 | 79 | #1,848 |
| 2011 | 84 | #1,737 |
| 2010 | 84 | #1,767 |
| 2009 | 66 | #2,076 |
| 2008 | 78 | #1,861 |
| 2007 | 81 | #1,795 |
| 2006 | 68 | #1,966 |
| 2005 | 70 | #1,834 |
| 2004 | 70 | #1,782 |
| 2003 | 55 | #2,051 |
| 2002 | 58 | #1,912 |
| 2001 | 46 | #2,213 |
| 2000 | 42 | #2,294 |
| 1999 | 42 | #2,196 |
| 1998 | 35 | #2,447 |
| 1997 | 29 | #2,676 |
| 1996 | 33 | #2,375 |
| 1995 | 31 | #2,439 |
| 1994 | 25 | #2,842 |
| 1993 | 19 | #3,362 |
| 1992 | 29 | #2,462 |
| 1991 | 18 | #3,319 |
| 1990 | 10 | #4,986 |
| 1989 | 8 | #5,608 |
| 1988 | 15 | #3,345 |
| 1987 | 16 | #3,068 |
| 1986 | 17 | #2,888 |
| 1985 | 12 | #3,596 |
| 1984 | 9 | #4,212 |
| 1983 | 10 | #3,882 |
| 1982 | 11 | #3,690 |
| 1981 | 11 | #3,599 |
| 1980 | 15 | #2,964 |
| 1979 | 6 | #5,353 |
| 1978 | 8 | #4,155 |
| 1977 | 7 | #4,580 |
| 1976 | 7 | #4,416 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 5 | #5,225 |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 5 | #3,986 |
Names like Mahdi
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad, Musa, Mustafa, Ahmed, Hamza, Abdullah, Rafi, Umar, Zayd, Musab, Zayan, Amir
Names related to Mahdi
More Arabic names
Layla, Mohammed, Lyla, Mohammad, Zara, Aaliyah, Amira, Fatima, Ali, Yahya, Zayn, Aisha, Omar, Zahra, Kairo, Safa
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Mahdi: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/mahdi, updated 20 October 2026.