| Amir | Jamal | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Prince, commander | Beauty, handsome |
| Origin | Arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ah-MEER | juh-MAHL |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1954 | 1946 |
| Peak year | 2024 (3,640) | 1993 (1,245) |
| In 2025 | 3,297 | 169 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Amir | Jamal |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 20,129 | 1,268 |
| 2010s | 20,481 | 3,266 |
| 2000s | 8,869 | 5,898 |
| 1990s | 3,615 | 10,265 |
| 1980s | 1,843 | 7,187 |
| 1970s | 655 | 4,691 |
| 1960s | 144 | 558 |
| 1950s | 11 | 91 |
| 1940s | 0 | 11 |
Amir is an Arabic name meaning “prince,” “ruler” or “commander.”
From Arabic جمال (jamāl), the abstract noun 'beauty', from the root j-m-l. Jamal is the masculine name built directly on this root and is well established as 'beauty' or 'handsome'.
Amir is more popular than Jamal today: about 3,297 US babies were given the name Amir in 2025, compared with 169 named Jamal.
Amir means Prince, commander (Arabic origin), while Jamal means Beauty, handsome (arabic origin).
In US records, Amir first appears in 1954 and Jamal in 1946, so Jamal has the longer recorded history.