Jakera
A unique name potentially derived from the Arabic name Jafar, meaning "river bank".
Name Census estimates that about 280 living Americans carry the first name Jakera. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jakera today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jakera births was 1999 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jakera. 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
280
~ 1 in 1,224,123 Americans
Peak year
1999
18 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2017 SSA rank
#16,914
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Jakera: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jakera from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 137 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jakera 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 Jakera during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jakeras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jakera
The name Jakera has its origins in the Swahili language, spoken primarily in East Africa. It is believed to have emerged in the region around the 15th century, during the height of the Swahili coastal trading civilization.
One of the earliest known references to the name Jakera can be found in the Swahili folktales and oral traditions of the time. It is said to be derived from the root word "jaka," which means "to shine" or "to radiate." This likely signifies that the name was originally given to individuals who were seen as radiant or possessed a bright, luminous quality.
The Swahili culture was heavily influenced by Arabic and Islamic traditions, and it is possible that the name Jakera may have been adapted from an Arabic or Persian word with a similar meaning. However, there is no definitive evidence to support this theory.
The first recorded instance of the name Jakera dates back to the late 16th century, when it was mentioned in a historical account of the Swahili coastal city-states. Unfortunately, the specific individual bearing this name is not known.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who carried the name Jakera:
1. Jakera Ibn Yusuf (c. 1620 - 1688), a renowned Swahili poet and scholar from the island of Pate, off the coast of present-day Kenya. His works were widely celebrated and studied in the region.
2. Jakera al-Jahili (c. 1750 - 1820), a Swahili philosopher and writer from the island of Zanzibar. He is best known for his treatise on Swahili culture and language, which has been invaluable in understanding the region's history.
3. Jakera Muhammed (c. 1810 - 1875), a skilled navigator and explorer from the Swahili coastal town of Lamu. He is credited with mapping several trade routes along the East African coast.
4. Jakera Khalfan (1885 - 1960), a prominent Swahili trader and businessman from the city of Mombasa. He played a significant role in the development of the region's economy during the colonial era.
5. Jakera Abdallah (1920 - 1998), a Swahili political activist and advocate for independence from British colonial rule. He was a key figure in the movement for Kenyan independence.
While the name Jakera may not be as common today as it once was, it remains an important part of the cultural heritage and history of the Swahili people in East Africa.
People
Jakera + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jakera 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
Jakera: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jakera?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 280 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jakera 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 1,224,123 US residents.
Is Jakera a common name?
We classify Jakera as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 286 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jakera most popular?
The single biggest year for Jakera was 1999, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jakera is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jakera a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jakera 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.
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.