Umer
A masculine Arabic name meaning "flourishing" or "long-lived".
Name Census estimates that about 375 living Americans carry the first name Umer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Umer today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Umer births was 1999 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Umer. 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
375
~ 1 in 914,012 Americans
Peak year
1999
17 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,058
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Umer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Umer from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 126 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
Umer 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 Umer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Umers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Umer
The name Umer has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic root word "amr," which means "command" or "order." The name Umer is a variation of the more common Arabic name "Omar."
One of the earliest and most notable references to the name Umer is in the Islamic religious text, the Quran. Umer was the name of the second caliph of Islam, Umer ibn al-Khattab, who ruled from 634 to 644 CE. He was one of the most influential and powerful leaders in the early years of Islam and played a significant role in the expansion of the Islamic empire.
In the 7th century CE, Umer ibn Abi Rabi'ah was a renowned Arab poet and one of the most celebrated figures of the Umayyad era. His poetry was known for its elegance and emotional depth, and he is considered one of the greatest poets of the Arabic language.
Another historical figure bearing the name Umer was Umer Khayyam, a Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries. He is best known for his contribution to the fields of mathematics and astronomy, as well as his collection of quatrains, known as the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
In the 13th century, Umer al-Suhrawardi was a prominent Sufi mystic and the founder of the Suhrawardiyya order of Sufism. He was known for his spiritual teachings and his contribution to the development of Islamic mysticism.
During the Mughal era in India, Umer Shaikh Mirza was a notable poet and scholar who lived in the 16th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and was renowned for his mastery of Persian and Arabic literature.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Umer. Throughout history, the name has been used across various cultures and regions, and its meaning and significance have evolved over time.
People
Umer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Umer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Umer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Umer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 375 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Umer 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 914,012 US residents.
Is Umer a common name?
We classify Umer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 380 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Umer most popular?
The single biggest year for Umer was 1999, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Umer is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Umer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Umer 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.