Given name & surname
Omar
“a flourishing man; one who is well-spoken”
Omar is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “a flourishing man; one who is well-spoken.”
Original Arabicعمر
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “a flourishing man; one who is well-spoken.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Omar is another form of 'Umar. The history of 'Umar gives this family its wider story. Historical bearers include Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph, and the Persian poet, astronomer, and mathematician Umar al-Khayyam. Edward FitzGerald’s English translation of the Rubaiyat helped bring the latter’s poetry to a wide English-speaking audience.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Omar appears in Genesis 36:11, Genesis 36:15.
- Genesis 36:11
- Genesis 36:15
From biblical name research
Omar through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 106,894
- 106,438 boys · 456 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 3,223 babies
- 2025
- 1,333
- #260 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,333 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 260 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,216 in 2007. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (225). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 126,840 as a first name in 2020; 11,435 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Omar’s family of names
In English usage, Omar shares an earlier linguistic root with Umar. Omar has a related form in Omer. In English usage, Omar has a feminine form in Oma.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Omar has relatives in 16 languages. Lines run from its Arabic roots to each of them.
Arabicwhere Omar comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 6
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Amaridoublet · English
- Umardoublet · English, Polish
- Amarequivalent
- Omaryequivalent
- Omafeminine form · English
- ܥܘܡܪequivalent
- Cumarequivalent
- UmaruHausa
Show 6 moreShow fewer
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Omar
- Omar KhayyamPersian mathematician and poet (1048–1131)
- Omar al-BashirPresident of Sudan from 1989 to 2019born 1944
- Omar SharifEgyptian actor (1932–2015)
- Omar BongoGabonese politician (1935–2009)
- Omar BradleyUnited States Army general (1893–1981)
- Omar al-MukhtarLeader of the Senussi resistance against the Italian fascist occupation (1858–1931)
- Omar SívoriItalian-Argentine footballer1935–2005
- Omar SyFrench actor and comedian (born 1978)
- Umaro Sissoco EmbalóPresident of Guinea-Bissau from 2020 to 2025born 1972
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Omar, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ali
“the great one; one who is exalted”
92% boys · 8% girls
Angelo
“a messenger from God”
>99% boys
Nazım
“arranger, organizer; poet”
>99% boys
Holden
“one who is willing and eager” · “from the hollow in the valley”
99% boys · 1% girls
Clark
“a cleric; a clerk”
98% boys · 2% girls
Cade
“a precocious young woman” · “one who is round”
>99% boys
Pierce
“as solid and strong as a rock”
96% boys · 4% girls
Romeo
“pilgrim to Rome”
>99% boys