Jamara
Feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially Arabic meaning "live coal".
Name Census estimates that about 938 living Americans carry the first name Jamara. It is a predominantly female name (95.4% of registrations). The average person named Jamara today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamara births was 1994 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamara. 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
938
~ 1 in 365,410 Americans
Peak year
1994
39 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
1994 SSA rank
#9,411
Tracked since 1966
Census
Jamara in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 785 people with the first name Jamara, which placed it at #14,848 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,848
National first-name rank
People counted
785
785 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
82.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jamara
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamara is Black at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and White (5.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jamara described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jamara at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American82.4% · 647
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 55
- White5.7% · 45
- Two or more races4.7% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Jamara
Jamara leans heavily female at 95.4% of total registrations, but 45 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Jamara as a male name
- Ranked #9,411 in 1994
- 5 male births in 1994
- Peak: 1982 (11 births)
Jamara as a female name
- Ranked #12,653 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2001 (37 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jamara leans strongly female. 684 people counted with this name were female (86.7%), compared with 105 male bearers (13.3%).
Popularity
Jamara: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamara from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 304 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jamara 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 Jamara during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jamaras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia recorded the most babies named Jamara, while Virginia, Ohio, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jamara
The name Jamara is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, with roots tracing back to the Middle East and North Africa regions. Linguists suggest that the name could be derived from the Arabic word "jamar," which means "live coal" or "embers," symbolizing warmth, passion, and vibrancy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jamara can be found in ancient Arabic texts, where it was used to refer to a woman of exceptional beauty and grace. It's possible that the name was initially given to individuals born during times of cultural or spiritual significance, perhaps near the solstice when fires played a central role in celebrations.
In the 12th century, a renowned poet and scholar named Jamara ibn al-Qasim gained recognition for her contributions to Arabic literature. Her works, which explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience, have been preserved and studied by academics and historians alike.
During the 14th century, a powerful sultana named Jamara al-Din ruled over a small kingdom in present-day Morocco. She was known for her strategic military prowess and her efforts to promote education and the arts within her realm.
In the 16th century, a renowned architect named Jamara al-Andalusi left a lasting legacy with his intricate designs and innovative techniques. His masterpieces, including several mosques and palaces, can still be admired in various parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Jamara al-Tahtawi was an Egyptian scholar and writer who played a crucial role in the renaissance of Arabic literature and thought. His works, which bridged Eastern and Western philosophies, have been widely studied and appreciated by academics and intellectuals.
While the name Jamara has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has since transcended geographical boundaries and gained popularity in various parts of the world. Its rich history and symbolic meaning continue to captivate individuals from diverse backgrounds, making it a timeless and cherished name.
People
Jamara + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamara 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
Jamara: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamara?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 938 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamara 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 365,410 US residents.
Is Jamara a common name?
We classify Jamara as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 971 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamara most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamara was 1994, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamara is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jamara in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 785 people with the name Jamara, or 0.26 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,848 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jamara in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jamara?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jamara leans strongly female. 684 people counted with this name were female (86.7%), compared with 105 male bearers (13.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jamara?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamara is Black at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and White (5.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jamara most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jamara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (647 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Jamara in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jamara a female name?
Yes, 95.4% of people registered as Jamara 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 Jamara still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jamara 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 Jamara 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.
How many people share the name Jamara?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.