Emir means “prince, commander; leader or ruler”. It comes from Arabic. It is documented as a boy's name in Turkish, Uyghur, Azerbaijani and Bashkir.
- Emir is a name of Arabic origin.
- It is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur, Azerbaijani and Bashkir.
- 2 syllables (counted from the spelling) and 4 letters.
What does Emir mean?
Emir is a Turkish male name from the Arabic title amīr, which the Turkish entry glosses as prince, commander or another leader or ruler. It reached Turkish through Ottoman Turkish, where emir likewise meant a commander, prince or chief.[1,4,5,6]
Meaning themes: Leadership and nobility
Emir in Turkish, Uyghur, Azerbaijani and Bashkir
What does Emir mean in Turkish?
In Turkish the name is written Emir. No separate Turkish gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “prince, commander; leader or ruler” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.[1,7]
What does Emir mean in Uyghur?
In Uyghur the name is written ئەمىر, Emir (ULY transliteration), ئىمىر, Imir, Mir, مىر, ھەمىر and Hemir. Here it is glossed as “city governor; one who commands; one who brings prosperity”[6]. It is recorded as a boy's name.[6]
Where does the name Emir come from?
Arabic, borrowing. Inherited from Ottoman Turkish emir, a borrowing of Arabic ʾamīr, which comes from a root meaning 'to command'.[1,2]✓ Documented
Arabic, borrowing. Wiktionary traces the name to Arabic أَمِير (‘commander, prince’).[5]✓ Documented
Arabic, borrowing. Wiktionary traces the name to Arabic أَمِير (‘prince’).[4]✓ Documented
Arabic, borrowing. The Dictionary of Uyghur Names gives the origin as Arabic.[6]✓ Documented
- emir “commander, prince”, from Arabic (Arabic أَمِير, Kyrgyz эмир)
How do you pronounce Emir?
In IPA: [emiɾ], as given in the cited dictionary entry.
Which languages use the name Emir?
Emir is used as a given name in Turkish, Uyghur, Azerbaijani and Bashkir. Its origin is Arabic. The table shows for each language whether the use is documented by a cited source or comes from our editorial research.
Emir across Turkic languages
| Language | Spelling | Gender | Meaning in this language | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish | EmirLatin | Boy | same as above: “prince, commander; leader or ruler” | Documented[1,7] |
| Uyghur | ئەمىرArabic script ئىمىرArabic script, variant ImirLatin, variant MirLatin, variant مىرArabic script, variant ھەمىرArabic script, variant HemirLatin, variant | Boy | “city governor; one who commands; one who brings prosperity” | Documented[6] |
| Azerbaijani | ƏmirLatin | Boy | “prince” | Documented[4] |
| Bashkir | ӘмирCyrillic | Boy | “commander, prince” | Documented[5] |
Similar spellings in different languages do not prove a shared origin: two languages can arrive at the same sound from different words. The origin section above states what the sources say.
Spelling variations of Emir
Forms are shown as recorded, in their original script. Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled with their system and are not presented as attested spellings.
| Form | Language | Script | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emir[1] | Turkish | Latin | Native spelling |
| ئەمىر[6] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Native spelling |
| Emir[6] | Uyghur | Latin | Romanization (ULY transliteration) |
| ئىمىر[6] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Imir[6] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| Mir[6] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| مىر[6] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| ھەمىر[6] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Hemir[6] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| Əmir[4] | Azerbaijani | Latin | Native spelling |
| Әмир[5] | Bashkir | Cyrillic | Native spelling |
| Ämir[5] | Bashkir | Latin | Romanization (Wiktionary romanization) |
Names related to Emir
Variants and linked names
- EmirhanBoy“emir (prince, commander) + khan (ruler)”
Names with a similar meaning
- AmirBoy“flourishing, one who brings prosperity; commander, one who orders”
- AybekBoy“moon + lord”
- AyhanUnisex“moon + khan, ruler”
- AzizbekBoy“dear + lord”
- BekbolatBoy“lord + steel”
- BekjanBoy“chieftain, master + soul”
- BekobodBoy“a title of local officials, beg + prosperous”
- CemBoy“Jam (Jamshid), legendary king; king, prince”
Sibling names for Emir
Names recorded for the same languages that start with a different letter, so two children are not mixed up. Names that share a meaning theme or an element with Emir rank first. Siblings do not have to match; these are only ideas.
- SeyitBoy“master, lord”same language (bashkir) · also shares the theme leadership and nobility
- MelikeGirl“queen”same language (turkish, uyghur) · also shares the theme leadership and nobility
- İlhanBoy“ilkhan (ruler of a realm)”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme leadership and nobility
- MirzaBoy“scribe; khan, bey; scholar, gentleman, teacher, master”same language (turkish, uyghur) · also shares the theme leadership and nobility
- AybekBoy“moon + lord”same language (uyghur) · also shares the theme leadership and nobility
- SultanBoy“power, authority; sultan”same language (turkish, uyghur) · also shares the theme leadership and nobility
- İmamBoy“one who stands in front, leader, guide”same language (turkish, uyghur) · also shares the theme leadership and nobility
- CemBoy“Jam (Jamshid), legendary king; king, prince”same language (turkish) · also shares the theme leadership and nobility
Common questions about Emir
What does the name Emir mean?
Emir means “prince, commander; leader or ruler”. It comes from Arabic. It is documented as a boy's name in Turkish, Uyghur, Azerbaijani and Bashkir.
Is Emir a girl's or a boy's name?
Emir is recorded as a boy's name. By language: Turkish: boys; Uyghur: boys; Azerbaijani: boys; Bashkir: boys.
Where does Emir come from?
Emir is of Arabic origin according to our origin records. Read the origin section above for the sources.
Which languages use Emir?
Emir is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur, Azerbaijani and Bashkir. The table shows each language's spelling, gender and evidence label, and a language is listed only when our data records the name for it.
How is Emir spelled in other scripts?
Recorded spellings: Emir (Latin), ئەمىر (Arabic script), ئىمىر (Arabic script), Imir (Latin), Mir (Latin), مىر (Arabic script). Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled as such in the spelling table.
How many syllables does Emir have?
Emir has 2 syllables by our approximate count of vowel groups in the spelling, and 4 letters. Pronunciation can differ by language.
Sources
Numbers in the text point to these sources. The descriptions on this page are written by our editors; source texts are not copied.
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Emir”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93013098. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Turkish given name from Arabic, meaning prince, commander or other leader or ruler; classified as a male given name in the Turkish section; IPA [emiɾ] (Turkish Pronunciation section); listed as a male given name in the Turkish section (+2 more)
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “امیر”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93352545. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Ottoman Turkish noun commander; king; prince; chief; ruler; leader; borrowed from Arabic أَمِير; borrowed from Arabic أَمِير
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “أمير”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93465952. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Arabic noun prince; commander; from the root ʾ-m-r 'to command'; Arabic أَمِير ‘prince’
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Əmir”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93614915. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: classified as a male given name in the Azerbaijani section; etymology states: Borrowed from Arabic أَمِير (ʔamīr); listed as a male given name in the Azerbaijani section; headword of the Azerbaijani given-name entry
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Әмир”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93013136. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: classified as a male given name in the Bashkir section; etymology states: Borrowed from Arabic أَمِير (ʔamīr, “commander, prince”); listed as a male given name in the Bashkir section; headword of the Bashkir given-name entry (+1 more)
- Uyghur Language. Dictionary of Uyghur Names. Uyghur Language (GitHub: uyghur-language/names), revision 075ed994f116b4b9e06c7d013b4fb880db679883. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: MIT License.
Supports: entry in the Dictionary of Uyghur Names; Uyghur gloss: (1) شەھەر بېگى. (2) بۇيرۇق قىلغۇچى (3) ئاۋات قىلغۇچى; listed as a Uyghur given name (masculine); origin: Arabic (+8 more)
- Wikidata contributors. Wikidata item Q6417829 (Emir, male given name). Wikimedia Foundation, revision 2555499998. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC0 1.0.
Supports: Wikidata given-name item lists Turkish under P407
Suggest a correction
Found an error or have a better source? Suggestions are checked against the sources and never change the page automatically.