Ilar
A masculine Finnish name meaning "cheerful".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Ilar. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ilar today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ilar births was 1917 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ilar. 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 Ilar. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1917
7 babies that year
Average age
-
1922 SSA rank
#5,355
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Ilar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ilar from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 17 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
Ilar 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 Ilar 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 Ilar
The name Ilar is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was widely spoken in ancient India. The name is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Ila," which means "earth" or "soil." This suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals with a deep connection to the land or those who worked in agriculture.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Ilar can be found in the ancient Hindu text, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Ila is a character who is transformed into a woman after being cursed by the sage Narada. Ila later becomes the progenitor of the Lunar Dynasty, which ruled over parts of northern India.
In the 6th century BCE, there was a notable scholar and philosopher named Ilar who hailed from the city of Taxila, which was a major center of learning in ancient India. Ilar is credited with making significant contributions to the field of logic and reasoning, and his writings were widely studied by scholars of his time.
During the reign of the Gupta Empire, which spanned from the 4th to the 6th century CE, there was a renowned poet and playwright named Ilar who was patronized by the royal court. His works, which included plays and poetic compositions, were celebrated for their lyrical beauty and profound insights into human nature.
In the 12th century, there was a prominent Sufi mystic named Ilar who lived in the region of present-day Afghanistan. Ilar was known for his spiritual teachings and his ability to connect with people from various backgrounds. His teachings were documented in several manuscripts and continue to be studied by Sufi scholars to this day.
Another notable figure with the name Ilar was a 16th-century military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Ilar was renowned for his strategic prowess and his unwavering loyalty to the Mughal Empire. He played a crucial role in several military campaigns and helped to expand the empire's territories.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Ilar. While the name may have its roots in ancient India, it has transcended cultural boundaries and has been embraced by people from various backgrounds and regions.
People
Ilar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ilar as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ilar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ilar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ilar 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 - US residents.
Is Ilar a common name?
We classify Ilar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 30 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ilar most popular?
The single biggest year for Ilar was 1917, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ilar is about 0 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 Ilar in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ilar a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ilar in the SSA data are female. 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 Ilar still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ilar 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 Ilar 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 are named Ilar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.