Mehrdad as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Mehrdad

What is the meaning of the name Mehrdad ?

The baby name Mehrdad is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /meɾdɒːd/ (IPA); MEHR-dahd (approx.).

Mehrdad is Persian in Origin.

Mehrdad is a Persian masculine name with deep Zoroastrian roots, from Old Iranian Mithradāta via Middle Persian Mihrdād, literally "given by Mithra," the ancient deity of covenant, light, and friendship. In modern Persian, mehr also denotes love, kindness, and the sun, so the name is often understood as "gift of love" or "gift of the sun," alongside its older theophoric sense.

The name has long currency across the Iranian cultural sphere; its Greek/Latin counterpart Mithridates was borne by several Hellenistic and Parthian rulers, most famously Mithridates VI of Pontus, which cemented its prestige. Medieval forms appear in the Caucasus as Mihrdat/Mirdat, notably among Georgian rulers. In contemporary use, Mehrdad is common in Iran and the diaspora, reflecting a 20th-century revival of pre-Islamic names. Variants and related forms include Mehrdād (with diacritics), Mihrdad, Mithridates/Mithradates, and Persian compounds such as Mehran and Mehrzad.