The first name Jafar
A boy’s name from Arabic.
2 syllables Male
Meaning and origin
Arabic origin
Borrowed from Arabic جَعْفَر (jaʕfar). A transliteration of an Arabic and Persian male given name.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Jafar last appeared in the official list in 2021, given to 4 boys. It peaked in 2016, with 10 births (#2,175).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Jafar with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Jafar at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 12 boys born in the United States were named Jafar, the 6,961st most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1994, when 33 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
- Jaafar
Famous people named Jafar
8 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Ja'far ibn Abī TālibCompanion (Sahabi) and cousin of Muhammad (c. 590–629)
- Ja'far ibn Yahya8th century Vizier of Harun al-Rashid's Court, 760–803
- Jafar JabbarlyAzerbaijani playwright, poet, director and screenwriter (1899-1934)
- Ja'far PishevariChairman of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party and the National Government of Azerbaijan., 1892–1947
- Jafar al-Askari3rd and 6th prime minister of Mandatory Iraq (1885–1936)
- Jafar AriasCuraçaoan professional footballer, born 1995
- Ja'far ibn FallahFatimid military commander (died 971)
- Al-Mutawakkil10th Abbasid caliph (822–861, r. 847–861)
More Arabic boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Jafar mean?
- Borrowed from Arabic جَعْفَر (jaʕfar). A transliteration of an Arabic and Persian male given name.
- What is the origin of the name Jafar?
- Borrowed from Arabic جَعْفَر (jaʕfar). A transliteration of an Arabic and Persian male given name.
- How popular is the name Jafar?
- In 2021, 4 boys born in England and Wales were named Jafar, ranking 3,990th. Its peak was 2016, with 10 births.
- Is Jafar a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 671 US babies named Jafar since 1880 were boys.
- When was Jafar most popular?
- 1994 in the United States, when 33 babies were named Jafar, its highest rank at 2,368th.
- What are other spellings of Jafar?
- Jaafar.