Exar
A name of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from the Latin word "exaratus" meaning "engraved" or "furrowed".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Exar. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Exar today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Exar births was 2024 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Exar. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Exar. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2024
6 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,308
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Exar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Exar from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Exar 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 Exar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Exar
The name Exar is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages, dating back to around 3500 BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sumerian word "exara," which means "to lead" or "to guide." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were seen as leaders or guides within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Exar can be found in the Sumerian King List, an ancient text that chronicles the rulers of various Sumerian city-states. The list includes an entry for a king named Exar, who ruled over the city of Uruk around 2800 BCE. While little is known about this specific individual, his inclusion in the King List indicates that he was a figure of significance in the region during that time period.
In later centuries, the name Exar appears to have found its way into various religious and mythological texts. For example, in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, there is a reference to an entity known as "Exar-Khons," which is believed to be a combination of the name Exar and the Egyptian word for "traveler." This entity was associated with the journey of the soul after death, further reinforcing the name's connection to guidance and leadership.
One of the most notable individuals named Exar in history was Exar Kun, a fictional character from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Kun was a powerful Jedi Master who fell to the dark side of the Force and became a Sith Lord. He was born on the planet Dxun in 4975 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) and played a significant role in the Sith Empire's efforts to conquer the galaxy.
Another historical figure with the name Exar was Exar Layton, a British mathematician and astronomer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Layton made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and is credited with developing a method for calculating the positions of planets and stars with greater accuracy.
In the realm of literature, one of the earliest recorded uses of the name Exar can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian poem dating back to around 2100 BCE. One of the characters in the epic is named Exar, though his role and significance within the story are not widely known.
While the name Exar is not as common as some other names, it has a rich history that spans several ancient civilizations and cultures. From its Sumerian origins to its appearances in religious texts and works of fiction, the name carries a sense of leadership, guidance, and exploration, making it a unique and intriguing choice for those seeking a name with a deep historical significance.
People
Exar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Exar as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Exar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Exar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Exar 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Exar a common name?
We classify Exar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Exar most popular?
The single biggest year for Exar was 2024, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Exar is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Exar in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Exar a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Exar 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.
Is Exar still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Exar in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Exar can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Exar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.