Find out how popular the last name Abubakar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Abubakar.

Abubakar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Abubakar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abubakar in America

Abubakar is the 37492nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abubakar surname appeared 594 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Abubakar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abubakar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Abubakar

The surname Abubakar is of Arabic origin and is derived from the combination of the Arabic words "Abu" meaning "father of" and "Bakar" which is a masculine given name meaning "young camel." The name can be traced back to the early days of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East region.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Abubakar can be found in historical records and manuscripts from the 7th and 8th centuries CE, particularly in writings related to the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. One notable figure bearing this surname was Abu Bakr, who was a close companion of the Prophet and later became the first Caliph of the Islamic empire after Muhammad's death in 632 CE.

As Islam spread across various regions, the surname Abubakar was carried along with the migration of Arab tribes and traders. It became prevalent in areas such as North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. In some regions, the name underwent slight variations in spelling or pronunciation, such as Abubakar, Abubakr, or Aboubacar.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Abubakar. One example is Abubakari II, who ruled the Songhai Empire in West Africa from 1493 to 1528. Another prominent figure was Abubakari Tafawa Balewa, a Nigerian politician and the first Prime Minister of Nigeria after the country gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960.

Other individuals bearing the surname Abubakar include Abubakar Gumi (1922-1992), a renowned Islamic scholar and Sufi leader from Nigeria, and Abubakar Shekau (born c. 1965-1975), the former leader of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram in Nigeria. Additionally, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, named after the former Prime Minister, is a prominent educational institution located in Bauchi, Nigeria.

While the surname Abubakar has its roots in Arabic language and culture, it has become widely dispersed across various regions and communities, particularly in parts of Africa and Asia with significant Muslim populations. The name carries a rich historical legacy and continues to be a prominent surname in many parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abubakar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Abubakar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Abubakar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Abubakar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Abubakar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Abubakar, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!