2000
#16,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,611
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Abbasi
Denoting a person from Abbas, Iran or attributing a connection to the Al-Abbas tribe or Abbas, the uncle of Muhammad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,186 Americans carry the last name Abbasi. That puts it at #8,629 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abbasi surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Abbasi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,881
Census rank
#8,629
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,650 bearers of the surname Abbasi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8629th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abbasi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abbasi
The surname Abbasi has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "Abbas," which was the name of one of the paternal uncles of the Prophet Muhammad. This surname has its roots in the Middle East, particularly in countries with significant Arab populations.
The Abbasi name can be traced back to the early Islamic era, around the 7th century AD, when the Abbas family played a crucial role in the establishment of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Abbasids ruled a significant portion of the Islamic world from their capital in Baghdad, Iraq, from 750 to 1258 AD.
Historical references to the Abbasi surname can be found in various medieval texts and manuscripts, particularly those related to Islamic history and genealogy. One notable example is the work of the renowned historian, Al-Tabari, who chronicled the rise of the Abbasid dynasty in his book "History of the Prophets and Kings."
The earliest recorded instances of the Abbasi surname can be found in regions that were once part of the Abbasid Caliphate, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Egypt. Some variations of the spelling include Abbassi, Abbasi, and Abbassy.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Abbasi surname, including:
1. Abu'l-Abbas as-Saffah (721-754 AD), the first Abbasid caliph and founder of the Abbasid dynasty.
2. Harun al-Rashid (763-809 AD), an influential Abbasid caliph known for his patronage of arts, science, and literature during the Islamic Golden Age.
3. Mirza Muhammad Reza Abbasi (1565-1635), a renowned Persian calligrapher and painter during the Safavid era.
4. Muhammad Abbasi (1857-1938), an Indian independence activist and writer who played a significant role in the Khilafat Movement.
5. Arif Abbasi (1912-1982), a prominent Pakistani politician and diplomat who served as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977.
As the Abbasi surname spread across different regions and cultures, it likely adopted various local variations and spellings, reflecting the influences of different languages and dialects. However, its roots can be traced back to the influential Abbasid dynasty, which left an indelible mark on the history and culture of the Islamic world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abbasi
Among Census respondents with the surname Abbasi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Abbasi bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Abbasi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander64.8% · 2,365
- White26.6% · 971
- Two or more races5.8% · 213
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 83
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abbasi
Abbasi appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,562
+951 bearers (+59.0%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 4,280 places
2020
#8,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,650
+1,088 bearers (+42.5%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 3,535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,444 | 1,611 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,164 | 2,562 | 0.87 | +951 bearers (+59.0%) | Up 4,280 places |
| 2020 | #8,629 | 3,650 | 1.22 | +1,088 bearers (+42.5%) | Up 3,535 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Abbasi surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,164 | #8,629 | 29.1% |
| Count | 2,562 | 3,650 | 42.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 1.22 | 40.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abbasi bearers went from 2,562 to 3,650 (+42.5% change). The surname moved up 3,535 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,164 to #8,629.
FAQ
Abbasi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abbasi?
Name Census estimates that about 4,186 living Americans carry the surname Abbasi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,881 residents.
How common is Abbasi?
Abbasi ranks #8,629 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,650 people with the surname Abbasi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Abbasi.
Has Abbasi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abbasi went from 2,562 recorded bearers to 3,650. That is an increase of 1,088 (+42.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,164 to #8,629.
What does the Census say about the background of Abbasi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abbasi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Abbasi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.8% (2,365 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abbasi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (64.8%), White (26.6%), Two or More Races (5.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Abbasi (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Abbasi mean?
Denoting a person from Abbas, Iran or attributing a connection to the Al-Abbas tribe or Abbas, the uncle of Muhammad. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Abbasi (1.22 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Abbasi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.