Akhtar

Akhtar (Persian: اختر, Pashto: اختر) means 'star' in Persian and is used in Pashto for Nowruz and Eid Day. It is also a common surname. A variant spelling is Akhter.

Notable people with the given name or surname include:

Akhtar

Gender	Feminine and Masculine
Language	Punjabi, Pashto, Persian
Origin
Word/name	Persian and Pashto, Punjabi
Meaning	"Star"
Other names
Alternative spelling	Akhter

Given name

Akhtar

• Akhtar Ali (1939–2021), Indian tennis player
• Akhtar Ayub (born 1987), Pakistani cricketer
• Akhtar Hussain Badshah, Pakistani politician
• Akhtar Chaudhry (born 1961), Pakistani-Norwegian politician
• Akhtar Hassan Khan Gorchani (born 1958), Pakistani diplomat, politician, and intelligence official
• Akhtar Husain (1912–1992), Pakistani scholar, journalist, and lexicographer
• Akhtar Hussain (1900–1974), Pakistani vocalist and musician
• Akhtar Hussain (1926–1987), Pakistani field hockey player
• Akhtar Hussain (born 1946), Pakistani lawyer, judge, and politician
• Akhtar Hussain (born 1959), Pakistani sarangi player
• Akhtar Hussain (died 1973), Pakistani cricket umpire
• Akhtar Imam (1917–2009), Bangladeshi educationist, feminist, and social activist
• Akhtar Jadoon, Pakistani politician
• Akhtar Jamal, Pakistani journalist and editor
• Akhtar Ali G. Kazi (1944–2010), Pakistani politician
• Akhtar Khan, British journalist and television and radio presenter
• Akhtar Hameed Khan (1914–1999), Pakistani development practitioner and social scientist
• Akhtar Raza Khan (1943–2018), Indian Barelvi Muslim scholar, cleric, and mufti
• Akhtar Hussain Langove, Pakistani politician
• Akhtar Hussain Malik (1910s–1969), general of the Pakistan Army
• Akhtar Mansour (1960s–2016), Afghan supreme leader, second leader of the Taliban
• Akhtar Mengal (born 1962), Pakistani politician
• Akhtar Mirza, Indian screenwriter and director
• Akhtar Mohiuddin (1928–2001), Indian novelist, playwright, and short story writer
• Akhtar Mohiuddin (born 1956), Pakistani footballer and coach
• Akhtar Naraghi, Canadian poet, writer, and scholar
• Akhtar Mohammad Osmani (died 2006), Taliban senior leader
• Akhtar Abdur Rahman (1924–1988), Pakistani Senior Army General
• Akhtar Rasool (born 1954), Pakistani field hockey player
• Akhtar Sadmani (1934–2003), Bangladeshi singer
• Akhtar Raza Saleemi (born 1974), Pakistani poet, novelist, writer, critic, and editor
• Akhtar Sarfraz (1976–2019), Pakistani cricketer and coach
• Akhtar Shah (born 2002), Pakistani cricketer
• Akhtar Sheerani (1905–1948), Pakistani poet
• Akhtar Hameed Siddiqui (1947–2017), Bangladeshi politician
• Akhtar ul Iman (1915–1996), Indian Urdu poet and screenwriter
• Akhtar-ul-Islam (born 1947), Pakistani field hockey player
• Akhtar Ali Vario (1933–2008), Pakistani politician
• Akhtar Chanal Zahri (born 1954), Pakistani folk singer

Akhter

• Akhter Husain (1902–1983), Pakistani politician
• Akhter Mia (1920–1984), Bangladesh politician

Aktar

• Aktar Islam (born 1980), British-Bangladeshi restaurateur

Surname

Akhtar

• Adeel Akhtar (born 1980), British actor
• Ayad Akhtar (born 1970), American playwright, novelist, and screenwriter
• Farhan Akhtar (born 1974), Indian film director
• Gulraiz Akhtar (1943–2021), Pakistani field hockey player
• Jan Nisar Akhtar (1914–1976), Indian poet
• Javed Akhtar (born 1945), film writer and poet from India
• Kabir Akhtar (born 1975), American director and editor
• Saghir Akhtar, Qatari chemist
• Saleem Akhtar (1930–2004), Pakistani former cricketer
• Shamshad Akhtar (1954–2025), Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
• Shoaib Akhtar (born 1975), Pakistani former cricketer
• Zoya Akhtar (born 1972), Indian film director

Akhter

• Mahfuza Akhter (born 1967), Bangladeshi football administrator, member of the FIFA Council
• Doli Akhter (born 1986), Olympic swimmer from Bangladesh
• Moin Akhter (1950–2011), Pakistani television actor
• Salma Akhter (born 1991), Bangladeshi singer

Aktar

• Cengiz Aktar (born 1955), Turkish scientist
• Mohammad Aktar (born 1962), Afghan wrestler

Compound names with the element Akhtar

• Akhtar-ud-Din (Star of the Religion)
  • Akhter Uddin Mia (1920–1984), Bangladeshi politician
  • Akhtaruddin Ahmad (born 1930), Bangladeshi lawyer and government minister
  • A. F. Muhammad Akhtaruddin (born 1968), Bangladeshi cricket umpire
• Akhtar-ul-Iman (Star of Faith)
  • Akhtar ul Iman (1915–1996), Indian poet and screenwriter
  • Akhtarul Iman (born 1964), Indian politician
• Akhtar-ul-Islam (Star of Islam)
  • Akhtarul Islam (born 1947), Pakistani field hockey player
  • Akhtar-ul-Islam (born 1947), Pakistani field hockey player
  • Akhtarul Islam Shahin (born 1979), Indian politician
• Akhtarul Wasey (born 1951), Indian academician
• Akhtaruzzaman, multiple people

See also

• Akhtar, a Persian-language periodical founded in Istanbul, 1876
• Akhtaruzzaman, a derived name