indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Gender Masculine
Usage Persian, Persian Mythology, Literature
Scripts اسفندیار(Persian)
Other Forms FormsEsfandiyar, Esfandyar, Espandiyar, Isfandiar, Isfandiyar
Meaning & History
Modern Persian form of Sepandiar, which was the early New Persian form of the Middle Persian name Spandadat. The latter name ultimately comes from the Avestan name Spentodata, which means "given by (the) holy". It is derived from Avestan spenta meaning "holy" combined with Avestan data meaning "given".Esfandiar was the name of a prince from Persian legend, who was killed by the warrior hero Rostam. The 11th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi recorded his tale in the epic poem "Shahnameh".A known real-life bearer of the name is the Iranian politician Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (b. 1960).