Jaʽfar

Jaʽfar (Arabic: جَعْفَر), meaning in Arabic "stream", is a masculine name of Arabic origin, common among Middle Eastern and Muslim men, especially in Iran.

It may also be written Jafar, Jaffar, Jafer, Jaafar, or in the Egyptian Arabic pronunciation, Gafar or Gaafar.

The Turkish transliteration of the name is Cafer, in Azerbaijani Cəfər, in Bosniak Džafer, in Kyrgyz Japar, in Kazakh Zhapar, and in Albanian Xhafer.

Historical persons

Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (590–629), companion of Muhammad, older brother of Ali

Jafar ibn Ali (died 680), son of Ali and Umm ul-Banin

Ja'far al-Sadiq (702–765), descendant of Ali, sixth imam of Shia Islam

Ja'far ibn Abdallah al-Mansur, (743–767) was the elder son of caliph al-Mansur.

Ja'far ibn Yahya (767–803), one of the Barmakids, vizier of Caliph Harun al-Rashid

Abu Jaafar al-Mansur, 7th-century Abbasid caliph

Ja'far al-Mutawakkil (822–861), the tenth Abbasid caliph

Abu Ma'shar Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Balkhi (787–886), Persian scholar

Mir Jafar (1691–1765), military commander who betrayed the Nawab of Bengal Siraj ud-Daulah

Mir Jafar Dasni (died 841), a rebel, who rebelled against Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim

Ja'far ibn Mansur al-Yaman (fl. 10th century), Ismaili theologian

Ja'far ibn Fallah (died 971), Kutama Berber general of the Fatimids

Ja'far ibn al-Furat (921–1001), Ikhshidid and Fatimid vizier

Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi (c.840–c.885), son of the tenth imam of Twelver Shia Islam, Ali al-Hadi, and a founder of the Ja'fariyya sect

Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Hasani (died 876/7), first Sharif of Mecca

Ja'far al-Mufawwid, Abbasid prince and heir-apparent of Caliph al-Mu'tamid

Ja'far al-Muqtadir (895–832), the eighteenth Abbasid caliph

Jafar Tabrizi (also known as Farīd al-Dīn and Qeblat al-Kottāb), 15th century master in calligraphy as well as a poet and scribe

Ja'far ibn Sa'id (died 1764/5), Sharif of Mecca

Jafar Khan (died 1789), King of Persia

Modern persons

Given name

Jafar

Ja'afar Mahmud Adam (1960–2007), Nigerian Islamic scholar

Jafar Alam (born 1957), Bangladeshi politician and Member of Parliament

Jafar Alizadeh (born 1956), Iranian wrestler

Jafar Arias (born 1995), Curaçaoan footballer

Jafar al-Askari (1887–1936), prime minister of Iraq

Jafar Bazri, (born 1987), Iranian footballer

Jafar Bolhari (born 1948), Iranian psychiatrist

Jafar Ebrahimi, Iranian poet

Jafar al-Hakim (born 1965), Shiite Ayatollah in Najaf, Iraq

Jafar Hidayatullah (born 2003), Indonesian badminton player

Jafar Iqbal (born 1999), Bangladeshi footballer

Jafar Irismetov (born 1976), Uzbekistan footballer and coach

Jafar Jabbarli (1899–1934), Azerbaijani playwright, poet, director and screenwriter

Jafar Dhia Jafar (born 1943), Iraqi nuclear physicist

Jafar Khan Jamali (1911–1967), Indian politician, tribal chief and an All-India Muslim League veteran from Balochistan

Jafar Kazemi (1964–2011), Iranian political prisoner sentenced to death and hanged for co-operation with the Iranian opposition group PMOI

Jafar Mokhtarifar (born 1957), Iranian footballer

Jafar Panahi (born 1960), Iranian filmmaker

Jafar Salmasi (1918–2000), Iranian weightlifter

Jafar Shafaghat (c.1915–2000), Iranian General officer in the Iranian Pahlavi Army

Jafar Shahidi (1918–2008), scholar of Persian language and literature and historian of Islam

Jafar Sharif-Emami (1910–1998), Prime minister of Iran

Jafar Sobhani (born 1929), Iranian Shia Marja

Jafar Shojouni (1932–2016) Iranian Shia cleric and politician who served a member of the Parliament of Iran

Jafar Towfighi (born 1956), Iranian engineer and politician

Jafar Zafarani (born 1947), Iranian mathematician

Jafar Umar Thalib (1961–2019), Indonesian ulama and Islamic political figure

Jaafar

Jaafar Abbas, Sudanese writer and journalist

Jaafar Abdul Karim (born 1981), German journalist and TV presenter

Jaafar Abdul Aziz (born 1947), Bruneian aristocrat, businessman and retired general

Jaafar al-Sadr (born 1970), Iraqi politician

Jaafar Jaafar, Nigerian journalist

Jaafar Jackson (born 1996), American singer and actor

Jaafar Mohammed Saad (1950–2015), Yemeni politician and soldier

Jaafar Muhammad (1838–1919), Malaysian politician

Jaafar Munroe, Trinidadian footballer

Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa (born 1950), Kurdish politician

Jaafar Shenaishil (born 2003), Iraqi footballer

Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari (born 1957), Malaysian diplomat

Ja'far

Ja'far Kashfi, Persian philosopher of 19th century

Ja'far Modarres-Sadeghi (born 1954), Iranian novelist and editor

Ja'far Pishevari (1893–1947), Iranian politician

Ja'afar Touqan (1938–2014), Palestinian-Jordanian architect

Jaffar

Jaffar Idukki (born 1971), Indian impressionist and actor in Malayalam film

Jaffer Zaidi, Pakistani musician and lead vocalist of the Pakistani band Kaavish

Jaffer

Jaffer Rahimtoola (1870–1914), Indian barrister

Cafer

Cafer Çağatay (1899–1991), Turkish footballer

Cafer Osman Topçı (1921–1944), Crimean Tatar officer in the Soviet Army

Cafer Sadık Kutlay (1912–1988), Turkish businessman, civil engineer and politician

Cafer Seydamet Qırımer (1889–1960), Crimean Tatar politician and writer

Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez (1877–1958), Turkish politician

Cafer Tosun (born 1999), Turkish footballer

Džafer

Džafer Kulenović (1891–1956), Yugoslav politician who led the Yugoslav Muslim Organization in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and was briefly government minister

Gaafar

Gaafar Nimeiry (1930–2009), President of Sudan

Xhafer

Xhafer Bej Ypi (1880–1940), Albanian politician

Xhafer Deva (1904–1978), Kosovo Albanian politician

Xhafer Spahiu (1923–1999), Albanian politician

Middle name

Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan (1927–2017), Indian sitar player

C. K. Jaffer Sharief or Challakere Kareem Jaffer Sharief (1933–2018), Indian politician

Akif Jafar Hajiyev (1937–2015), Azerbaijani mathematician

Mir Jafar Baghirov (1896–1956), Azerbaijani communist leader under the Soviet rule

Mufti Jafar Hussain (1914–1983), Pakistani Shia mujtahid and political leader

Ali Jaafar Mohamed Madan (born 1995), Bahraini footballer

Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, Iranian scholar of Islamic studies and a former diplomat

Mohammad Jafar Mahjoub (1924–1996), Iranian scholar of Persian literature, essayist, translator and teacher

Muhammad Jafar Moravej (1910–1999), Iranian Cleric

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri (born 1949), Iranian cleric and judge and the current Attorney-General of Iran

Mohammad Jafar Moradi (born 1990), Iranian long distance runner

Musa Bin Jaafar Bin Hassan (born 1950), Omani diplomat and academic

Mustafa Jaffer Sabodo (1942–2024), Tanzanian economist, consultant and businessman

Mohammad Jafar Yahaghi (born 1947), Persian writer, literary critic, editor and translator

Sayed Jaafar Ahmed (born 1991), Bahraini footballer

Syed Jaafar Albar (1914–1977), Malaysian politician

Sayed Jafar Naderi (born 1965), ethnic Hazara-Ismaili who controlled Baghlan Province of Afghanistan during the early 1990s

Seyyed Jafar Kashfi, Iranian calligrapher

Surname or patronymic

Jafar

Adnan Jafar (born 1949), Iraqi footballer

Badr Jafar (born 1979), Emirati business executive

Habib Jafar (born 1966), Iraqi footballer

Izz al-Din Jafar, 14th-century Eretnid sultan

Jafar Dhia Jafar (born 1943), Iraqi nuclear physicist

Mustapha Ben Jafar (born 1940), Tunisian politician and doctor

Syed Jafar, Indian-American electrical engineer and computer scientist

Talha Jafar (1853–1934), Ethiopian-Argobba rebel and governor

Jaafar

Abdul Aziz Jaafar (born 1956), retired Malaysian admiral

Azmun Jaafar (1958–2025), Indonesian civil servant and politician

Ghazali Jaafar (1944–2019), Filipino militant and government official

Hardi Jaafar (born 1979), Malaysian footballer

Isham Jaafar, Bruneian doctor

Jalaluddin Jaafar (born 1975), Malaysian footballer

Jasim Mohammed Jaafar, Iraqi politician

Jazeman Jaafar (born 1992), Malaysian car racer

Karrar Jaafar (born 2006), Iraqi footballer

Maha Jaafar (born 1994), Emirati dentist and YouTuber

Mariam Jaafar (born 1977), Singaporean politician

Megat Jaafar, Malaysian politician

Mujtaba Sayed Jaafar (born 1981), Qatari footballer

Naceur Ben Jaâfar (1923–1970), Tunisian politician and labor activist

Omar Jaafar, Malaysian politician

Onn Jaafar (1895–1962), Malay politician and a Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Johor in Malaysia, then Malaya

Raja Jaafar (born 1941), Raja Muda (crown prince) of Perak Darul Ridzuan

Suhaylah Abd-Jaafar (born 1964), Iraqi lawyer and activist

Tuanku Ja’afar (1922–2008), the tenth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia from 26 April 1994 until 25 April 1999 and the tenth Yang Di-Pertuan Besar (Ruler) of Negeri Sembilan

Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (born 1946), Malaysian politician, lawyer and retired policeman

Jaffar

Kamarudin Jaffar (born 1951), Malaysian politician

Said Mohamed Jaffar (1918–1993), president of the State of Comoros

Jaffer

Armaan Jaffer (born 1998), Indian cricketer

Jameel Jaffer (born 1971), Canadian human rights and civil liberties attorney

Melissa Jaffer (born 1936), Australian actress

Mobina Jaffer (born 1949), Canadian Senator

Rahim Jaffer (born 1971), Canadian politician

Sadaf Jaffer (born 1983), American politician and scholar

Sayed Mohammed Jaffer (born 1985), Bahraini footballer

Wasim Jaffer (born 1978), Indian cricketer

Džaferović

Vanja Džaferović (born 1983), Croat-Bosnian footballer

Gaafar

Ahmed Gaafar (born 1985), Egyptian footballer

Farouk Gaafar (born 1952), Egyptian footballer

Mostafa Gaafar (born 1981), Egyptian footballer

Xhaferi

Derived names

Umm Ja'far

Zubaidah bint Ja'far, (765/66–831) also known as Umm Ja'far was an Arab Abbasid princess, wife of caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809) and mother of caliph al-Amin (r.