UK boy's name
Abubakar
The servant/follower of the praised one, of Arabic origin.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Abubakar is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Abubakar popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #981, with 31 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2011, with 45 births.
This profile covers 845 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 69% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 842 living people in the UK are called Abubakar. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Abubakar ranked #981 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 31 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2011, when 45 boys were registered as Abubakar.
- • Abubakar ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #626 in 2009.
- • About 842 living people in the UK are estimated to have Abubakar as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#981
2024
Births in 2024
31
Latest year
Peak year
2011
45 births
Estimated living
842
2026
Meaning
What does Abubakar mean?
The name Abubakar has its roots in Arabic language and culture, originating from the Middle East region during the 6th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic words "Abu" meaning "father" and "Bakr" which is an Arabic name that means "young camel." The name Abubakar can be translated to mean "father of a young camel" or "father of the small."
The name gained significant prominence in Islamic history due to its association with Abu Bakr, one of the closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate after the Prophet's death in 632 AD. Abu Bakr's full name was Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa, but he was widely known as Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, meaning "the truthful" or "the upright."
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Abubakar can be found in the Qur'an, where Abu Bakr is mentioned as a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad. The name also appears in various Islamic texts, including the Hadith, which are the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad.
Throughout history, several notable figures bore the name Abubakar. These include Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1912-1966), the first Prime Minister of independent Nigeria; Abubakar III (1457-1545), the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 to 1622; Abubakar Gumi (1922-1992), a prominent Islamic scholar and leader in northern Nigeria; Abubakar Shekau (born circa 1965-1975), the former leader of the Boko Haram militant group; and Abubakar II (1083-1131), the Sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1094 to 1105.
The name Abubakar holds a revered status in Islamic tradition and has been widely used across various cultures and regions influenced by Islam, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia and Africa.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Abubakar over time
The chart below shows babies named Abubakar registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Abubakar, the clearest high point is 2011. The latest England and Wales figure is 31 births in 2024, compared with 45 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Abubakar by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Abubakar was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1011 | 145 | 5 |
| 2010s | #853 | 360 | 10 |
| 2000s | #792 | 295 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1257 | 45 | 4 |
Geography
Where Abubakar is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Abubakar. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Abubakar ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #626 in 2009.
Across the UK
Abubakar in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#626 in 2009
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Abubakar
-
Abubakar Salim
actor; voice actor; film producer; television actor; video game developer
British actor and game designer
1993-
Related
Names similar to Abubakar
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Abubakar: questions and answers
How popular is the name Abubakar in the UK right now?
In 2024, Abubakar was ranked #981 for boys in England and Wales, with 31 births registered.
When was Abubakar most popular?
The peak year on record was 2011, with 45 babies registered as Abubakar in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Abubakar?
The servant/follower of the praised one, of Arabic origin.
How many people are called Abubakar in the UK?
A total of 845 babies have been registered as Abubakar across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Abubakar most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Abubakar ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #626 in 2009. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.