Zemar
An Arabic masculine name meaning "song", "chant", or "psalm".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Zemar. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zemar today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zemar births was 2000 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zemar. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zemar. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2000
5 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2012 SSA rank
#14,227
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Zemar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zemar from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 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
Zemar 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 Zemar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zemar
The name Zemar has its origins in the ancient Semitic languages, with roots tracing back to the Middle East and North Africa. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "zamar," which means "to sing" or "to chant." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with musical or poetic traditions in its early usage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zemar can be found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. In Surah Al-Isra (Chapter 17, Verse 64), the name "Zemar" is mentioned in reference to a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. This suggests that the name was in use during the 7th century CE in the Arabian Peninsula.
In the 10th century CE, a renowned Arab poet and scholar named Zemar Al-Basri (born circa 920 CE, died after 981 CE) gained recognition for his contributions to literature and linguistics. His works, which included poetry and literary criticism, helped to preserve and promote the Arabic language and cultural heritage.
During the medieval period, the name Zemar also appeared in various historical records and chronicles from the region. For instance, a military commander named Zemar Ibn Al-Khattab (born circa 1050 CE, died 1121 CE) is mentioned in accounts of the Crusades, where he played a role in defending the city of Aleppo against the invading Christian forces.
In more recent times, one notable figure with the name Zemar was Zemar Abid (born 1919, died 2002), an Iraqi artist and sculptor who gained international recognition for his modernist interpretations of traditional Arabic themes and motifs.
Another individual worth mentioning is Zemar Fareed (born 1955), a prominent Afghan diplomat and politician who has held various positions in the government, including serving as the Ambassador to the United Nations and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
People
Zemar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zemar as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zemar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zemar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zemar 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Zemar a common name?
We classify Zemar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zemar most popular?
The single biggest year for Zemar was 2000, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zemar is about 20 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 Zemar in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zemar a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zemar 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.
Is Zemar still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zemar 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 Zemar 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 Zemar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Zemar at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.