Arber
An Albanian masculine name meaning "traveler" or "immigrant".
Name Census estimates that about 392 living Americans carry the first name Arber. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Arber today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arber births was 2024 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arber. 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
392
~ 1 in 874,373 Americans
Peak year
2024
24 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,316
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Arber: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arber from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 134 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Arber remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arber 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 Arber during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arbers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Arber
The given name Arber has its origins in the Albanian language. It is derived from the Albanian word "arber", which means "Albanian" or "one who belongs to the Albanian people". The name can be traced back to the ancient Illyrian tribes that inhabited the western Balkan region, including parts of modern-day Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.
In the early Middle Ages, the name Arber was used to refer to the Albanians as an ethnic group. It was mentioned in various historical texts and documents from that time period, such as the writings of Byzantine chroniclers and travelers. The name gained significance as a symbol of Albanian identity and cultural heritage.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Arber can be found in the work of the 13th-century Dominican friar and historian Bartolomeo da Neocastro, who wrote about the "Arber" people in his book "Historia de Vita et Gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum Principis" (History of the Life and Deeds of Scanderbeg, Prince of the Epirotes).
Over the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Arber. One of the most famous was Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu (1405-1468), also known as Scanderbeg, an Albanian noble and military leader who led a long resistance against the Ottoman Empire. He is considered a national hero in Albania and is often referred to as the "Dragon of Albania".
Another prominent individual with the name Arber was Arber Xhaferi (1965-), a Macedonian politician and former President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia. He played a significant role in promoting the rights of the Albanian minority in North Macedonia.
In the field of literature, Arber Agalliu (1946-) is a renowned Albanian poet and writer who has published numerous collections of poetry and prose works. His works have been translated into several languages and have earned him recognition both within Albania and internationally.
Arber Hajdari (1971-) is an Albanian filmmaker and screenwriter who has directed several critically acclaimed movies, including "Shok" (2004) and "Amnistia" (2012), which have explored various aspects of Albanian society and history.
Arber Balja (1989-) is a contemporary Albanian footballer who has played as a defender for several clubs in Albania and abroad, including KF Tirana and FC Zürich. He has also represented the Albanian national team in international competitions.
People
Arber + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arber 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
Arber: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arber?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 392 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arber 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 874,373 US residents.
Is Arber a common name?
We classify Arber as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 396 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arber most popular?
The single biggest year for Arber was 2024, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arber is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Arber a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arber 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.