2000
#12,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Jaber
An Arabic occupational surname referring to a consoler, comforter, or one who restores.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,960 Americans carry the last name Jaber. That puts it at #7,428 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,104 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jaber surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jaber with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,104
Census rank
#7,428
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,325 bearers of the surname Jaber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7428th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaber, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jaber
The surname JABER has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arab world. It is believed to have originated from the Arabic word "jabbār," which means "powerful" or "almighty." This name likely emerged during the early Islamic period, around the 7th or 8th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name JABER can be found in the writings of renowned Islamic scholars and historians, such as Al-Tabari (838-923 CE) and Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406 CE). These works mention individuals bearing the name JABER, indicating its widespread use among Arab populations during that time.
The name JABER has been linked to various place names and geographical regions throughout the Middle East. For instance, the town of Jaber al-Ansari in Lebanon is named after a historical figure known as Jaber al-Ansari, who was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and lived in the 7th century CE.
In the 10th century, a famous Arab mathematician and astronomer named Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Jabir al-Battani, also known as Al-Battani (858-929 CE), gained recognition for his contributions to the field of science. His works on trigonometry and astronomy were widely studied and influential during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another notable figure bearing the surname JABER was Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, commonly known as Al-Razi (865-925 CE), a Persian polymath who made significant contributions to various fields, including medicine, philosophy, and chemistry.
During the Mamluk period in Egypt, a prominent military leader named Jaber al-Hawari (died 1349 CE) served as the governor of Damascus and played a crucial role in defending the region against the Crusaders.
In more recent history, the name JABER has been associated with individuals from various Arab countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. One example is Kamal Jaber (1933-2020), a renowned Palestinian painter and sculptor who gained international recognition for his works depicting the struggles and aspirations of the Palestinian people.
It is worth noting that while the surname JABER has its roots in the Arab world, it has since spread to other regions and cultures through migration and cultural exchange. However, the focus of this report remains on the historical origins and significance of the surname within the Middle Eastern context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jaber
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaber, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Jaber bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jaber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 3,804
- Two or more races5.2% · 224
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 93
- Black or African American1.4% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jaber
Jaber appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,601
+298 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 368 places
2020
#7,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,325
+1,724 bearers (+66.3%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Up 4,577 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,373 | 2,303 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,005 | 2,601 | 0.88 | +298 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 368 places |
| 2020 | #7,428 | 4,325 | 1.45 | +1,724 bearers (+66.3%) | Up 4,577 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jaber surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,005 | #7,428 | 38.1% |
| Count | 2,601 | 4,325 | 66.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 1.45 | 64.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jaber bearers went from 2,601 to 4,325 (+66.3% change). The surname moved up 4,577 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,005 to #7,428.
FAQ
Jaber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jaber?
Name Census estimates that about 4,960 living Americans carry the surname Jaber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,104 residents.
How common is Jaber?
Jaber ranks #7,428 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,325 people with the surname Jaber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jaber.
Has Jaber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jaber went from 2,601 recorded bearers to 4,325. That is an increase of 1,724 (+66.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,005 to #7,428.
What does the Census say about the background of Jaber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaber, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jaber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (3,804 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jaber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jaber (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jaber mean?
An Arabic occupational surname referring to a consoler, comforter, or one who restores. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jaber (1.45 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Jaber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.