Fun Facts About the Name Anwar
- More than 2 thousand babies named Anwar: U.S. records list 2,864 babies given the name Anwar from 1880 through 2025. Even 103 girls received the name Anwar - about 1 girl for every 27 boys.
What Does the Name Anwar Mean?
Anwar is an Arabic masculine name meaning 'brighter' or 'more luminous.' It comes from the Arabic root n-w-r, the root of nūr ('light'). The name is formed on the elative pattern ʾafʿal, which in Arabic can have a comparative or superlative sense. Literally, therefore, it means 'more luminous' or 'most luminous.' In common English explanations it is often rendered simply as 'luminous,' 'bright,' or 'radiant.'
The usual Arabic spelling is أنور (ʾAnwar), with a short vowel after the w. It is not the same form as anwār (أنوار), the plural of nūr, meaning 'lights.' The two are sometimes confused in transliteration because the long ā of the plural is often left unmarked. Some popular explanations give 'rays of light,' but the Arabic word behind the name is the singular elative; the plural anwār means 'lights.'
Anwar Name History & Origins
Anwar is a traditional Arabic given name. It belongs to the same lexical family as nūr, the Arabic word for light that appears in the Qur'an and in the title of Sūrat al-Nūr. The name is not a Quranic proper name but a descriptive adjective used as a personal name, following a common Arabic naming practice of choosing words with praiseworthy meanings.
As Islam spread, the name moved with Arabic-speaking communities and with Muslim populations that adopted Arabic names. In Persian it is often written and pronounced Anvar; in Ottoman and modern Turkish it appears as Enver. Enver Pasha (1881 - 1922), a leading Ottoman military officer and politician, is a notable bearer of the Turkish form. In Urdu and other South Asian languages, Anwar is used as both a given name and a surname. The Egyptian president Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat (1918 - 1981) is a widely known modern bearer.
Anwar is grammatically masculine. In languages that borrowed it, the form changed in spelling and pronunciation, while the core sense of luminosity stayed attached to the name.
How Popular is the Name Anwar?
Anwar recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1978. Its best rank was #697 in 1978.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #13,604 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #14,694 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #14,784 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #13,637 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #10,765 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #17,810 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #15,330 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #11,917 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #9,084 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #9,656 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #11,902 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #9,653 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #10,784 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #10,370 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #6,819 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,129 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2024 | #2,870 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 2023 | #3,179 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2022 | #3,006 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 2021 | #4,120 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2020 | #3,349 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2019 | #2,556 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 2018 | #3,249 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 2017 | #3,439 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2016 | #2,785 | 43 | 0.0023% |
| 2015 | #2,768 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 2014 | #3,307 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2013 | #2,626 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 2012 | #3,183 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2011 | #2,319 | 55 | 0.0029% |
| 2010 | #2,469 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 2009 | #2,453 | 52 | 0.0026% |
| 2008 | #2,754 | 44 | 0.0022% |
| 2007 | #2,816 | 42 | 0.0020% |
| 2006 | #2,313 | 54 | 0.0026% |
| 2005 | #1,636 | 83 | 0.0042% |
| 2004 | #2,346 | 48 | 0.0024% |
| 2003 | #2,356 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 2002 | #2,092 | 51 | 0.0026% |
| 2001 | #2,119 | 49 | 0.0025% |
| 2000 | #2,139 | 47 | 0.0024% |
| 1999 | #2,200 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 1998 | #2,509 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1997 | #2,167 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1996 | #1,935 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1995 | #3,026 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1994 | #2,510 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1993 | #1,937 | 42 | 0.0021% |
| 1992 | #2,216 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1991 | #1,923 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 1990 | #1,730 | 46 | 0.0022% |
| 1989 | #1,683 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 1988 | #1,554 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 1987 | #1,658 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 1986 | #1,646 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1985 | #1,371 | 50 | 0.0027% |
| 1984 | #951 | 86 | 0.0048% |
| 1983 | #957 | 85 | 0.0047% |
| 1982 | #741 | 140 | 0.0077% |
| 1981 | #730 | 140 | 0.0078% |
| 1980 | #1,166 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 1979 | #913 | 92 | 0.0053% |
| 1978 | #697 | 144 | 0.0088% |
| 1977 | #1,122 | 60 | 0.0037% |
| 1976 | #1,210 | 51 | 0.0033% |
| 1975 | #1,322 | 43 | 0.0028% |
| 1974 | #1,472 | 35 | 0.0022% |
| 1973 | #2,131 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1972 | #1,872 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1971 | #2,469 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1970 | #4,760 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #3,965 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Anwar Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Anwar's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Anwar's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.