Explore the Family Name Amar

The meaning of Amar

1. French: from a shortened form of the ancient Germanic personal name Ademar, composed of the elements adal ‘noble’ + mar ‘famous’. 2. Muslim (mainly Maghreb) and Jewish (Sephardic): variant of Ammar. 3. Indian and Pakistani: Sindhi name, from a personal name from Sanskrit amar ‘immortal’. 4. Indian (Punjab): Sikh name based on the name of a Jat clan. Some characteristic forenames: French Jacques, Aime, Alain, Constant, Edouard, Francois, Germaine, Laurent, Prosper, Solange, Stephane, Thierry. Indian Rajiv, Ajay, Alka, Amar, Arun, Harish, Lata, Meera, Moti, Narain, Praveen, Ramana. Jewish Yossi, Avi, Avraham, Avram, Chaya, Iian, Itzhak, Mazal, Meryem, Pnina, Shlomo, Shmuel.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Amar in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Amar has increased significantly between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Amar ranked 19,445 in terms of surname popularity, but by 2010, it had risen to a rank of 16,108, marking a notable increase of 17.16%. The number of individuals bearing this surname also saw substantial growth, from 1,286 in 2000 to 1,797 in 2010 — a rise of 39.74%. As such, out of every 100,000 people, approximately 0.61 in 2010 carried the surname Amar, compared to 0.48 in 2000, indicating a surge of 27.08%.

20002010Change
Rank#19,445#16,10817.16%
Count1,2861,79739.74%
Proportion per 100k0.480.6127.08%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Amar

Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Amar based on the Decennial U.S. Census, there have been shifts across various categories over the decade. In 2000, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as White (51.63%), followed by Asian/Pacific Islander (16.87%), Hispanic (12.44%), and Black (11.12%). However, by 2010 there were significant changes. While the percentage of those identifying as White increased slightly to 54.48%, the proportion of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased slightly to 16.42%. Interestingly, the percentage of individuals identifying as Black rose notably to 14.08%. The Hispanic category saw a small decrease, coming down to 11.91%. Notably, 2010 witnessed some individuals with the Amar surname identifying with two or more races (2.73%) and as American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.39%), categories that weren't previously represented in 2000.

20002010Change
White51.63%54.48%5.52%
Asian/Pacific Islander16.87%16.42%-2.67%
Black11.12%14.08%26.62%
Hispanic12.44%11.91%-4.26%
Two or More Races0%2.73%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.39%0%