Names and Identity Shifts in Iran, 1962–2021

This article traces shifts in Iranian identity by analyzing changes in boys’ names from 1962 to 2021. The author categorized the 50 most common boys’ names according to cultural orientations and used a socio-psychological typology of social change to interpret trends.

Results indicate that a National Islamism orientation was predominant across the period, while Archaist Nationalism has gained strength in recent years. The study also reports a gradual rise in Modern Nationalism and a decline in Traditional Islamism.

What the study examined

This study looks at how personal naming patterns for boys in Iran changed between 1962 and 2021. The researcher focused on the 50 most common boys’ names and grouped them by cultural or identity orientations to trace broader shifts over six decades.

The analysis is framed by a socio-psychological typology of social change. That framework is used to relate naming patterns to different identity orientations across successive political and historical periods.

Key findings

The analysis found that a National Islamism orientation was the dominant identity orientation in the names examined across much of the period. In recent decades, names associated with Archaist Nationalism have become more prominent, presenting a clear change in relative prevalence.

• Modern Nationalism–oriented names show a gradual increase over the studied timeframe.
• Names categorized as reflecting Traditional Islamism show a decline in prevalence.

The shifts in name choices are described as reflecting contemporaneous political and historical contexts rather than proving direct causation between events and name selection.

Why it matters

Names function as visible markers of cultural orientation and identity. By tracking which name types rise or fall in frequency, the study provides a window onto changing social identities and collective preferences over time.

Situating naming trends within a socio-psychological typology makes it possible to compare how different identity orientations ebb and flow across historical periods. These patterns help illuminate how cultural meanings and identity expressions shift in a society over decades.