Nadar
Of Arabic origin, meaning courageous, brave or daring.
Name Census estimates that about 53 living Americans carry the first name Nadar. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 81.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Nadar today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nadar births was 2024 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nadar. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Nadar with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nadar. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
53
~ 1 in 6,467,063 Americans
Peak year
2024
24 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,304
Tracked since 1973
Gender
Gender distribution for Nadar
Nadar leans heavily female at 81.5% of total registrations, but 10 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Nadar as a male name
- Ranked #13,565 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1973 (5 births)
Nadar as a female name
- Ranked #6,304 in 2024
- 19 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (19 births)
Popularity
Nadar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nadar from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 49 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
Nadar 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 Nadar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nadars live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nadar
The name Nadar is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest languages in the world and has been primarily spoken in the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "nadara," which means "noble" or "excellent." It is believed to have been used as a given name in ancient India, particularly among the Brahmin caste, which was considered the highest social class in the Hindu society.
The name Nadar can be traced back to the Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas, which are considered the oldest sacred texts in the world. The name is mentioned in several verses of the Vedas, often in reference to individuals who were considered wise, learned, or virtuous. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nadar is found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic poem dating back to the 8th century BCE.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Nadar. One of the most famous was Nadar (1820-1910), a French photographer and caricaturist who is considered a pioneer in the field of photography. He was born Gaspard-Félix Tournachon and later adopted the pseudonym "Nadar," which was derived from the Arabic word "nadir," meaning "opposite of zenith."
Another notable figure with the name Nadar was Nadar Shah (1688-1747), who was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty in Persia (modern-day Iran). He was a renowned military leader and conquered vast territories, including parts of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Indian subcontinent.
In the field of literature, Nadar Kacheri (1909-1994) was a renowned Indian writer and journalist who made significant contributions to Malayalam literature. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, in 1973.
Nadar Sharieff (1880-1962) was a prominent Indian freedom fighter and social reformer from the state of Tamil Nadu. He played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement and advocated for the rights of the Muslim community in South India.
Nadar Vellikizhamai (1852-1923) was a Tamil scholar and social reformer who worked towards the upliftment of the Nadar community in Tamil Nadu. He was a prominent figure in the Nadar Movement, which aimed to improve the social and economic status of the Nadar caste.
People
Nadar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nadar as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nadar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nadar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 53 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nadar 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 6,467,063 US residents.
Is Nadar a common name?
We classify Nadar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 54 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nadar most popular?
The single biggest year for Nadar was 2024, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nadar is about 7 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 Nadar in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nadar a female name?
Yes, 81.5% of people registered as Nadar 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 Nadar still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nadar 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 Nadar 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 common is the name Nadar?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.