Akbar
An Arabic name meaning "most great" or "greatest."
Name Census estimates that about 561 living Americans carry the first name Akbar. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Akbar today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Akbar births was 1975 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Akbar. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
561
~ 1 in 610,970 Americans
Peak year
1975
21 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,654
Tracked since 1960
Popularity
Akbar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Akbar from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 132 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Akbar remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Akbar by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Akbar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Akbars live
Origin
Meaning and history of Akbar
The name Akbar originates from the Arabic language and means "the greatest" or "very great." It has its roots in the Arabic word "kabir," which means "great" or "elder." This name gained widespread recognition during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, who ruled the Indian subcontinent from 1556 to 1605.
Akbar was born in 1542 and was the third and arguably the greatest ruler of the Mughal Empire. His real name was Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential and renowned rulers in Indian history. Akbar was known for his religious tolerance, administrative reforms, and patronage of art and culture.
The name Akbar has been mentioned in various historical texts and records from the medieval period, particularly those related to the Mughal Empire. It has also been used in Islamic literature and texts, reflecting its Arabic origin and connection to Islamic culture.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Akbar can be found in the historical chronicles of the Mughal Empire, such as the Akbarnama, which was written by Akbar's court historian, Abul Fazl. This work provides a detailed account of Akbar's life and reign.
In addition to Akbar the Great, several other notable historical figures have borne the name Akbar. These include:
1. Akbar Khan (1816-1845), an Afghan military commander who fought against British forces during the First Anglo-Afghan War.
2. Akbar Khan Bugti (1944-2006), a former governor of Balochistan province in Pakistan and a prominent Baloch nationalist leader.
3. Akbar Shah II (1760-1837), the penultimate Mughal Emperor who ruled from 1806 to 1837.
4. Akbar Padamsee (1928-2020), an Indian painter and sculptor who was a pioneer of modern Indian art.
5. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1934-2017), an influential Iranian politician who served as the fourth President of Iran from 1989 to 1997.
These individuals have all left their mark on history, whether through their political or military achievements, artistic contributions, or religious and cultural influence, reflecting the significance and enduring legacy of the name Akbar.
People
Akbar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Akbar as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Akbar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Akbar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 561 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Akbar going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 610,970 US residents.
Is Akbar a common name?
We classify Akbar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 584 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Akbar most popular?
The single biggest year for Akbar was 1975, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Akbar is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Akbar a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Akbar in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.