Omari is usually explained as a form of the Arabic Omar, which means "flourishing" or "long-lived", and it is also linked to Swahili, where it is read as "God the highest". The name has been especially popular in African American families since the 1990s. Omari ranked number 925 in the United States in 2000, rose to a peak of number 472 in 2018 and has eased to number 687 in 2025.