Jabbar
A masculine Arabic name signifying "powerful" or "compeller".
Name Census estimates that about 714 living Americans carry the first name Jabbar. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jabbar today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jabbar births was 1972 (76 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jabbar. 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
714
~ 1 in 480,048 Americans
Peak year
1972
76 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,972
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Jabbar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jabbar from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 262 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jabbar 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 Jabbar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jabbars live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, California, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Jabbar, while Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jabbar
The given name Jabbar has its origins in the Arabic language. It is derived from the Semitic root word "jabr" which means "powerful" or "mighty". The name can be traced back to the 7th century CE and the early Islamic period.
Jabbar is one of the 99 names of Allah in Islamic tradition, referring to God as the "Compeller" or the "Restorer". It signifies the greatness, power, and majesty of the Divine. This association with the divine attributes has contributed to the widespread use of the name across the Arab world and among Muslims.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jabbar can be found in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, where it is used as an attribute of Allah. The name also appears in various hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) and early Islamic texts.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jabbar. One of the earliest was Jabbar ibn Hayyan (737-815 CE), a prominent Muslim theologian and philosopher from Basra, known for his contributions to the Mu'tazili school of thought.
Another prominent figure was Al-Qadi al-Jabbar (935-1025 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar, judge, and theologian from Rayy (modern-day Iran). He was a leading figure in the Mu'tazili movement and wrote extensively on topics such as theology, jurisprudence, and philosophy.
In the 13th century, Jabbar ibn Hayyan al-Saffar (1216-1288 CE) was a notable Arab mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad. He made significant contributions to the study of algebra and worked on improving astronomical instruments.
During the Mughal Empire in India, Mirza Muhammad Jabbar Asaf Khan (1639-1644 CE) was a prominent noble and military commander who served under Shah Jahan. He played a crucial role in the construction of the iconic Taj Mahal.
In more recent times, Jabbar Panti (1901-1986) was an Indian poet, writer, and freedom fighter from Uttar Pradesh. He made significant contributions to Urdu literature and was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Jabbar throughout history, reflecting its longstanding cultural and religious significance across various regions and time periods.
People
Jabbar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jabbar 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
Jabbar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jabbar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 714 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jabbar 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 480,048 US residents.
Is Jabbar a common name?
We classify Jabbar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 746 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jabbar most popular?
The single biggest year for Jabbar was 1972, when 76 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jabbar is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jabbar a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jabbar 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.