Name profile

Jair

A name meaning "he shines".

PronunciationAmerican English /d͡ʒə.ˈɪɹ/; British English /d͡ʒə.ˈɪə/; Spanish /ˈxai̯ɾ/; Portuguese /ʒa.ˈih/
Usage languagesBiblical, Biblical Portuguese, English, Portuguese, Spanish
US rank (2025)#1,193

Meaning and history

Jaír is a Hebrew name meaning “he shines,” derived from אוֹר (ʾor), “to shine.” In the Old Testament, it is borne by both a son of Manasseh and one of the ruling judges of the Israelites.

Popularity over timeUS births · boys
20062006: 296 births, rank #728
2007: 281 births, rank #775
2008: 248 births, rank #855
2009: 280 births, rank #795
2010: 243 births, rank #865
20112011: 251 births, rank #849
2012: 192 births, rank #1,017
2013: 264 births, rank #820
2014: 208 births, rank #994
2015: 199 births, rank #1,019
20162016: 222 births, rank #942
2017: 179 births, rank #1,090
2018: 198 births, rank #1,029
2019: 214 births, rank #989
2020: 249 births, rank #902
20212021: 238 births, rank #949
2022: 194 births, rank #1,103
2023: 208 births, rank #1,047
2024: 177 births, rank #1,172
20252025: 170 births, rank #1,193

Jair moved from #903 to #949 for boys between 2020 and 2021. Its highest annual birth count came in 2003, with 480 births.