Jabari
A masculine name of West African origin, meaning "fearless".
Name Census estimates that about 9,406 living Americans carry the first name Jabari. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jabari today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jabari births was 2006 (393 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jabari. 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
9.4K
~ 1 in 36,440 Americans
Peak year
2006
393 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,022
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Jabari: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jabari from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 3,008 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Jabari remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jabari 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 Jabari during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jabaris live
The SSA's state-level files cover 28 states and territories. Florida, Georgia, California recorded the most babies named Jabari, while Washington, Kentucky, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 277 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jabari
The name Jabari has its origins in the Swahili language spoken in East Africa, particularly in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is a name that has been in use for centuries and is derived from the Arabic word "jabbar," which means "powerful" or "mighty."
In Swahili culture, the name Jabari was traditionally given to boys as a way of expressing the hope that they would grow up to be strong and powerful leaders within their communities. The name was often associated with qualities such as courage, strength, and resilience.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jabari can be found in the Kilwa Chronicles, a historical text written in the 16th century that documents the lives of the rulers of the Kilwa Sultanate, an influential trading empire located along the Swahili Coast. The text mentions a ruler named Jabari bin Hasan who ruled over Kilwa in the late 15th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Jabari. One such figure was Jabari Nantambu Asukile (1915-1981), a Ugandan political activist and trade unionist who played a significant role in the fight for independence from British colonial rule.
Another prominent Jabari was Jabari Greer (born 1981), an American former professional football player who spent nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a cornerback for the Buffalo Bills and the New Orleans Saints.
In the world of literature, Jabari Asim (born 1962) is a celebrated author and poet who has written extensively on African American history and culture. He has published several books, including "The N Word: Its History and Use in the Lives of Black People" and "A Taste of Honey: Stories."
The name Jabari has also been associated with historical figures in the realm of music. Jabari Exana (1969-2020) was a renowned percussionist and drummer who performed with various jazz and world music ensembles, and was known for his mastery of African drumming traditions.
Finally, Jabari Parker (born 1995) is a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Boston Celtics in the NBA. He was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school and was selected as the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.
People
Jabari + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jabari as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jabari: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jabari?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,406 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jabari 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 36,440 US residents.
Is Jabari a common name?
We classify Jabari as "Rare". It ranks above 97.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,589 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jabari most popular?
The single biggest year for Jabari was 2006, when 393 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jabari is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jabari a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jabari 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.