Fun Facts About the Name Damar
- More than 1 thousand babies named Damar: U.S. records list 1,145 babies given the name Damar from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Damar - about 1 girl for every 228 boys.
What Does the Name Damar Mean?
Damar has two unrelated origins, one in Southeast Asia and one in Turkey, so it carries two different meanings. In Malay and Indonesian, damar is the word for dammar, the resin collected from dipterocarp trees of Southeast Asian forests. Because the resin burned steadily, the same word was applied to a resin torch or lamp, and in Javanese damar can mean "lamp" or "light." The literal sense is the resin itself; the sense of lamp or light is a later extension based on how the resin was used.
In Turkish, damar means "vein" or "blood vessel." Turkish also uses the word figuratively for a person's temper or natural disposition. This Turkish meaning is independent of the Malay and Javanese word, and the two traditions should not be merged.
The similar-looking biblical name Damaris has a separate derivation from Greek and is not the source of Damar.
Damar Name History & Origins
In the Malay-speaking world, damar is an old term for the forest resins traded across Southeast Asia, which were used for torches, boat caulking, varnish, and incense. The word is native to Malay and Javanese and remains the ordinary word for this resin in modern Indonesian and Malay; it also appears in Indonesian place names.
The best-known literary bearer of the name is Damar Wulan, the hero of a Javanese story cycle set in the Majapahit period. In the tale he is a youth of low standing who defeats the powerful minister Menak Jingga and marries the queen of Majapahit. The story is told in wayang and ketoprak performance and in the Javanese text known as the Serat Damar Wulan. His name joins damar with wulan, the Javanese word for "moon," which is how the compound is usually read. Whether Javanese parents who choose Damar today have the resin lamp or the hero in mind cannot be determined; both associations exist in Javanese culture.
In Turkey, damar is an everyday word for a blood vessel, and Damar occurs there as a surname and as a masculine given name.
How Popular is the Name Damar?
Damar has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1990. Its best rank was #1,803 in 1985.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | #15,916 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,911 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #5,945 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #4,482 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2022 | #7,366 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #5,380 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #5,292 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2019 | #5,000 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #4,256 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2017 | #6,109 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #5,360 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #4,920 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2014 | #6,060 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #4,653 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2012 | #3,389 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2011 | #4,533 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2010 | #3,645 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2009 | #4,460 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #3,297 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 2007 | #3,524 | 30 | 0.0014% |
| 2006 | #3,236 | 33 | 0.0016% |
| 2005 | #4,503 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2004 | #2,852 | 36 | 0.0018% |
| 2003 | #3,752 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2002 | #4,353 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #3,639 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2000 | #2,931 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1999 | #3,396 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1998 | #2,665 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1997 | #3,770 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1996 | #2,549 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1995 | #3,334 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1994 | #3,044 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1993 | #3,166 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1992 | #2,931 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1991 | #2,150 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1990 | #2,018 | 37 | 0.0018% |
| 1989 | #2,489 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1988 | #2,628 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1987 | #2,346 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1986 | #2,803 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1985 | #1,803 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1984 | #2,380 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1983 | #2,350 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1982 | #2,731 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1981 | #2,512 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1980 | #2,987 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #2,115 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1978 | #3,250 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #2,811 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1976 | #2,853 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1975 | #4,407 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #4,273 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #3,203 | 10 | 0.0006% |
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 Damar Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Damar's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Damar's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.