Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1978

Anwar

Meaning most luminous Gender Boy · 4% girls Rank 2025 #3,129 Trend → Stable

Borrowed from Arabic أَنْوَر (ʔanwar, “most luminous”).

Rank 2025
#3,129
among boys · ↓253 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
38
named Anwar · -14% vs 2024
How common
1 in 44,949
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1978
144 babies
All-time total
2,864
#2,680 all-time among boys
First recorded
1969
in Social Security records

Anwar popularity over time

2,864 babies have been named Anwar since 1969, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – 6 6 1 – #3,964
1970s – 487 487 49 +8017% #697
1980s 19 735 754 75 +55% #730
1990s 31 377 408 41 -46% #1,730
2000s 28 515 543 54 +33% #1,636
2010s 19 422 441 44 -19% #2,319
2020s (to 2025) 6 219 225 38 -15% #2,876

Where Anwar is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 39 0.02 outside top 500
2027 39 0.02 outside top 500
2028 39 0.02 outside top 500
2029 40 0.02 outside top 500
2030 40 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Anwar

Anwar is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,129 in 2025 with 38 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1969, 2,864 American babies have been named Anwar. Its peak came in 1978, when 144 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Anwar stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Anwar?

The median living Anwar is about 30 years old; half are between 16 and 43. An estimated 2,800 people named Anwar are alive in the United States today.

median 30 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Anwar year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 38 #3,129
2024 – – 44 #2,876
2023 – – 38 #3,182
2022 – – 41 #3,007
2021 – – 25 #4,122
2020 6 #13,615 33 #3,352
2019 – – 51 #2,556
2018 – – 35 #3,249
2017 – – 32 #3,441
2016 – – 43 #2,785
2015 6 #14,697 43 #2,770
2014 – – 33 #3,307
2013 6 #14,787 45 #2,626
2012 7 #13,637 35 #3,183
2011 – – 55 #2,319
2010 – – 50 #2,470
2009 10 #10,766 52 #2,453
2008 5 #17,812 44 #2,754
2007 – – 42 #2,816
2006 6 #15,330 54 #2,313
2005 – – 83 #1,636
2004 – – 48 #2,346
2003 – – 45 #2,356
2002 – – 51 #2,092
2001 – – 49 #2,119
2000 7 #11,917 47 #2,139
1995 6 #11,903 23 #3,027
1990 – – 46 #1,730
1985 5 #10,783 50 #1,371
1980 9 #6,819 61 #1,166
1975 – – 43 #1,322
1970 – – 5 #4,760
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Anwar

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Anwar Sadat Anwar Sadat President of Egypt from 1970 to 1981 1918–1981 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Anwar Ibrahim Anwar Ibrahim Prime Minister of Malaysia since 2022 b. 1947 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Anwar al-Awlaki Anwar al-Awlaki American-Yemeni Islamic cleric and lecturer (1971–2011) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Anwar, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Anwar?

The median living Anwar is about 30 years old. Half of all living Anwars are between 16 and 43 years old.

How many people named Anwar are alive today?

An estimated 2,800 people named Anwar are alive in the United States, based on 2,864 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Anwar mean?

Borrowed from Arabic أَنْوَر (ʔanwar, “most luminous”).

How popular is the name Anwar in 2025?

Anwar ranked #3,129 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 38 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Anwar?

2,864 babies have been named Anwar in the United States since 1969, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Anwar most popular?

Anwar peaked in 1978, when 144 newborns received the name.

Is Anwar a boy or girl name?

Anwar is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Anwar rising or falling?

Anwar has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Anwar become more popular?

Anwar looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 40 boys named Anwar in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Anwar?

Well-known people named Anwar include Anwar Sadat (politician), Anwar Ibrahim (politician), Anwar al-Awlaki (extremist).

Names like Anwar

Names that sound and feel close to Anwar: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Anwar with similar names → More names starting with A →