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

Amar, 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 Amar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Amar in America

Amar is the 16108th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Amar surname appeared 1,797 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Amar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Amar 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 Amar

The surname AMAR is of Arabic origin, derived from the word 'amar' meaning 'to live' or 'to flourish'. It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the medieval period, specifically in regions like Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the AMAR surname can be found in the 13th century, when it appeared in various Arabic manuscripts and records from the region. The name was sometimes spelled as 'Ammar' or 'Ammer' during this time.

During the Crusades, the AMAR surname was carried across the Mediterranean and into parts of Europe, particularly Spain and Portugal. In these regions, the name often took on the spelling variations of 'Amaro' or 'Amaral'.

The AMAR surname gained prominence in the 16th century, when a family bearing this name held significant influence in the city of Damascus, Syria. One notable member was Ahmad al-Amar, a renowned scholar and poet who lived from 1561 to 1624.

In the 18th century, the AMAR surname appeared in the historical records of the Ottoman Empire, particularly in regions like modern-day Turkey and Greece. One notable figure was Mustafa Amar Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and military commander who lived from 1720 to 1785.

As the AMAR surname spread across the Middle East and parts of Europe, it also found its way to the Indian subcontinent. One notable individual was Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan (1817-1898), an Indian Muslim scholar and reformer who played a pivotal role in the establishment of modern education in India.

In the 20th century, the AMAR surname gained recognition in various fields, including literature and politics. One prominent figure was Ahmed Amin Amar (1886-1962), an Egyptian writer and journalist known for his contributions to Arabic literature.

Another notable individual was Yahya Amar (1923-2016), a Moroccan politician and activist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement and served as the Minister of Education in the 1960s.

Throughout history, the AMAR surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Amar Bazar in Kolkata, India, and Amar Colony in New Delhi, India, both named after individuals bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Amar

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

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 Amar 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 Amar 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 Amar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Amar, 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!