Nizar
Masculine given name of Arabic origin meaning "one who is victorious".
Name Census estimates that about 381 living Americans carry the first name Nizar. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nizar today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nizar births was 2017 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nizar. 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
381
~ 1 in 899,618 Americans
Peak year
2017
26 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,577
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Nizar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nizar from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 167 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nizar remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nizar 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 Nizar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nizars live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Massachusetts, California recorded the most babies named Nizar, while California, Massachusetts, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nizar
The name Nizar has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic root word "nazara," which means "to see" or "to look." This suggests that the name may have been associated with keen observation, insight, or foresight.
Nizar was a common name among the Arab nobility and scholars during the golden age of Islamic civilization, particularly in regions like Persia, Mesopotamia, and the Levant. It is believed to have been used as early as the 7th century CE, during the time of the Rashidun Caliphate.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Nizar can be found in the historical chronicles of the Abbasid Caliphate. Nizar al-Qummi, born in 849 CE, was a prominent Shia scholar and theologian from the city of Qom, renowned for his contributions to Islamic jurisprudence and hadith literature.
In the 11th century, Nizar ibn Maad al-Azdi, a renowned Arab poet and writer, gained fame for his exceptional literary works. His poetry collection, known as the "Diwan," showcased his mastery of language and poetic imagery, earning him a revered status among Arabic literary circles.
During the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria, which ruled from the 13th to the 16th centuries, the name Nizar was borne by several influential figures. Nizar al-Din al-Nabulusi, born in 1285 CE, was a prominent Sufi scholar and poet who left a lasting impact on the spiritual and intellectual landscape of the region.
In more recent history, Nizar Qabbani, a Syrian diplomat, poet, and publisher, who lived from 1923 to 1998, gained international acclaim for his romantic and political poetry. His works, which often celebrated love, feminism, and Arab nationalism, resonated with readers across the Middle East and beyond.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who carried the name Nizar throughout history, each leaving their mark in fields such as literature, scholarship, and poetry. The name's enduring legacy reflects its deep-rooted ties to the rich cultural tapestry of the Arab world and its intellectual traditions.
People
Nizar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nizar 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
Nizar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nizar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 381 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nizar 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 899,618 US residents.
Is Nizar a common name?
We classify Nizar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 386 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nizar most popular?
The single biggest year for Nizar was 2017, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nizar is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nizar a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nizar 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.