Modern invented name popularized by science fiction; notably borne by Exar Kun in the Star Wars expanded universe.
Exar is a name with deep roots in science fiction and fantasy fandom before it ever became a given name. Its most prominent fictional bearer is Exar Kun, the fearsome Sith Lord of the Old Republic era in the Star Wars expanded universe — specifically the "Tales of the Jedi" comic series published by Dark Horse Comics in the 1990s. Kun was portrayed as one of the most dangerous dark-side practitioners in galactic history, a fallen Jedi whose ambition and brilliance curdled into obsession.
His name has a jagged, angular quality that mirrors his character: the "Ex-" prefix, from Latin "ex" meaning "out of" or "former," combined with the crisp "ar" ending gives it an alien precision. Beyond fiction, the "Ex-" construction appears across many naming traditions as a marker of something surpassing or transcendent — words like "extraordinary" and "excellent" carry the same Latin root. "Exar" can thus be parsed as something like "beyond" or "out from," a name that leans outward and forward.
The "ar" suffix echoes ancient names across cultures, from the Hebrew "-el" construction to Semitic roots meaning "light" or "fire" in names like Omar and Azar. As a given name, Exar is extraordinarily rare and almost certainly chosen by parents with a strong connection to speculative fiction or a desire for a name that is genuinely singular. It carries a futuristic confidence — short, memorable, and impossible to mistake for anything common. In an era when uniqueness is increasingly prized in naming, Exar represents the frontier.