Omar (name) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Omar
Calligraphic representation of caliph Omar's name, the most famous bearer of this name.
Pronunciation	/ˈoʊmɑːr/ /ˈoʊmər/ Arabic: [ˈʕomar]
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/Name	Arabic, Hebrew, Germanic
Meaning	"flourishing, long-lived" (Arabic) or "wealthy, famous" (Germanic) or “eloquent speaker” (Hebrew)
Place of origin	Middle East and Scandinavia

Omar, Umar, or Omer is a boy's name with different meanings depending on its origin. It comes from Arabic, Hebrew, and Germanic languages.

In Arabic, the name Umar or Omar (Arabic: عمر) means "flourishing" or "long-lived." This name is very common in Muslim countries. It became famous early in the history of Islam because of Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was the second leader (caliph) of Islam from 634 to 644. He played a big part in the early success of Islam.

There is also a biblical figure named Omar (Hebrew: אוֹמָר) in the Hebrew Bible. This version of the name means "eloquent," which means being able to speak very well. Another similar Hebrew name is Omer (Hebrew: עומר), which means "sheaf" or a bundle of grain.

The name Omar is also popular in Spanish-speaking countries. This might be because many Jewish and Muslim people lived in Spain and Portugal during the Middle Ages, which helped the name spread.

In Iceland, the name Ómar is quite popular for boys. It's also used a little bit in other Nordic countries. Sometimes, Omar can be a shorter version of older Germanic names like Ottomar or Othmar. These names come from words meaning "wealthy" and "fame." The Somali name Omaar (أومار) is different; it means "hot steam from a boiling pot."

Famous People Named Omar

Many well-known people throughout history and today share the name Omar, or its variations like Omer, Ómar, Ömer, Oumar, and Umar. Here are some of them:

People Named Omar

• Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke (born 1960), a diplomat and former prime minister of Somalia.
• Omar Abdullah, an Indian politician.
• Omar Ayuso (born 1998), a Spanish actor.
• Omar al-Bashir (born 1944), a former President of Sudan.
• Omar Bongo, who was the President of Gabon for many years (1967–2009).
• Omar Bradley (1893-1981), a famous American five-star general during World War II.
• Omar Chaparro, a Mexican actor.
• Omar Epps, an American actor.
• Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), a Persian poet and scientist known for his writings and work in mathematics.
• Omar Lye-Fook (born 1968), a British soul singer.
• Omar Mukhtar, a leader who fought against Italian occupation in Libya.
• Omar Sharif, a famous Egyptian actor who starred in many movies.
• Omar Sy (born 1978), a French actor.
• Omar Torrijos, a leader of Panama from 1968 to 1981.
• Omar Vizquel, a well-known baseball player.

People Named Omer

• Omer Adam (born 1993), an Israeli singer.
• Omer Bar-Lev (born 1953), an Israeli politician.
• Omer Meir Wellber (born 1981), an Israeli music conductor.
• Omer Riza, a British football player.

People Named Ómar

• Ómar Ragnarsson (born 1940), an Icelandic media personality and environmental activist.
• Friðrik Ómar (born 1981), an Icelandic singer who represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest.

People Named Ömer

• Ömer Aşık (born 1986), a Turkish professional basketball player.
• Ömer Çelik (born 1968), a Turkish politician and government minister.
• Ömer Yurtseven (born 1998), a Turkish basketball player.

People Named Oumar

• Oumar Kalabane (born 1981), a Guinean football player.
• Oumar Niasse (born 1990), a Senegalese football player.

People Named Umar

• Umar ibn al-Khattab (reigned 634–644), the second caliph of Islam, a very important historical figure.
• Umar Gul (born 1984), a Pakistani former cricketer.
• Umar Kayam (1932–2002), an Indonesian sociologist.
• Umar Tall (c. 1797–1864), a West African scholar and military leader.
• Umar Wirahadikusumah (1924–2003), a former Vice-President of Indonesia.

People Named Umaru

• Umaru Yar'Adua (1951–2010), the second President of Nigeria's Fourth Republic.

Fictional Characters

• Omar ben Salaad, a sheikh from the famous comic book series The Adventures of TinTin.

Surnames

The name Omar and its variations can also be used as a surname. Here are a few examples:

• Don Omar (born 1978), a famous Puerto Rican rapper.
• Ilhan Omar (born 1981), a Somali-American who is a U.S. Representative.
• Rageh Omaar, a Somali journalist and writer.
• Teuku Umar (c. 1854–1899), a leader during the Aceh War.

See also

In Spanish: Omar para niños

• Omar (disambiguation)
• Omar, a biblical figure
• Omar (Vaishya), a Hindu surname