Given name & surname
Maher
“a generous man”
Maher is used as a given name and a surname. One Irish interpretation is “a generous man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Irish interpretation is “a generous man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
How it developed
From Irish Ó Meachair (“descendant of Meachar”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1963. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Maher through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,156
- 1,156 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 47 babies
- 2025
- 47
- #2,741 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 47 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,741 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 3.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Illinois had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,010 as a first name in 2020; 22,504 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Maher’s family of names
In English usage, Maher as a surname has a related form in MAHAR. In English usage, Maher as a surname has a related form in MAHAR. In English usage, Maher as a surname has a related form in MAYHER.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Maher
- Maher ZainSwedish R&B singer, songwriter and music producerborn 1981
- Maher KanzariTunisian association football player and managerborn 1973
- Maher HasnaouiTunisian cyclistborn 1989
- Maher Arartelecommunications engineerborn 1970
- Maher HannachiTunisian association football playerborn 1984
- Maher MeshaalIslamic State munshid (nasheed singer)1989–2015
- Maher ZdiriTunisian association football playerborn 1970
- Maher BouallegueTunisian para athletics competitorborn 1969
- Maher RidaneTunisian athleteborn 1971
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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