Zahir is an Arabic surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Abdul Zahir (politician) (1910–1983), Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1971 to 1972 Abdul Zahir (Guantanamo Bay detainee 753) (born 1972) Ahmad Zahir (1946–1979), singer from Afghanistan Mohommad Zahir (born 1953), Guantanamo Bay detainee Mohamed Zahir (born c. 1950), Chief of Staff of the Republic of Maldives National Defence Force Shahidul Zahir (1953–2008), Bangladeshi novelist and short story writer