Find out how popular the last name Afsar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Afsar.

Afsar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Afsar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Afsar in America

Afsar is the 91625th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Afsar surname appeared 201 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Afsar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Afsar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Afsar

The surname AFSAR originates from the Persian language and has its roots in the Indian subcontinent. The earliest recorded instances of this name can be traced back to the Mughal Empire in the 16th century.

The word "afsar" in Persian means "officer" or "commander," and it was traditionally used as a title for military or civil officials in the Mughal administration. Over time, this title became a hereditary surname for families associated with these positions.

One of the earliest known references to the surname AFSAR can be found in the Akbarnama, a biography of the Mughal Emperor Akbar written in the 16th century. The text mentions several individuals with the title "Afsar," indicating that it was already in use as a surname during that period.

In the 17th century, the AFSAR surname gained prominence in the regions of present-day Pakistan and northern India, particularly in the areas of Punjab and Kashmir. Notable figures from this era include Mirza Khizr Afsar, a prominent Mughal noble and military commander who served under Emperor Aurangzeb in the late 1600s.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the AFSAR surname continued to be associated with influential families and individuals in the region. One notable example is Nawab Mir Muhammad Khan Talpur Afsar, a ruler of the Talpur dynasty in Sindh, Pakistan, who lived from 1801 to 1842.

In the early 20th century, the AFSAR surname gained recognition beyond the Indian subcontinent. Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, the second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, was born in 1889 with the surname AFSAR before adopting the title "Ahmad" later in life.

Another prominent figure with the AFSAR surname was Syed Shamsuddin Afsar, an Indian politician and diplomat who served as the Governor of West Bengal from 1956 to 1962. He was born in 1892 and played a significant role in the independence movement of India.

Historically, the AFSAR surname has been associated with military and administrative roles, reflecting its origins as a title for officials in the Mughal Empire. While the surname is most prevalent in South Asia, particularly in Pakistan and India, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Afsar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Afsar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Afsar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Afsar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Afsar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Afsar, please contact us.

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