2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Aghajani
A Persian surname referring to a person from Aghajan, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 241 Americans carry the last name Aghajani. That puts it at #93,627 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,422,217 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aghajani 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.
Bearers in the US
241
1 in 1,422,217
Census rank
#93,627
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
210
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 210 bearers of the surname Aghajani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 93627th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aghajani, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aghajani
The surname AGHAJANI is believed to have originated in Iran, likely derived from the Persian words "agha" meaning "master" or "lord" and "jani" meaning "life" or "soul." It is thought to have emerged as a surname sometime around the 16th or 17th century, during the Safavid dynasty in Persia.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Mirza Mohammad Aghajani, a prominent Persian scholar and poet who lived in the late 16th century. His works, which included poetry and philosophical treatises, were highly regarded during his lifetime and helped establish the Aghajani name among the intellectual elite of the time.
In the 18th century, the name Aghajani appeared in several historical documents and records from the Zand and Qajar dynasties of Iran. Notable figures from this period include Mirza Aghajani Khan, a high-ranking military commander who served under Nader Shah, and Haji Mohammad Aghajani, a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several mosques and schools in the city of Isfahan.
During the 19th century, the Aghajani surname gained prominence in the fields of literature and politics. Mirza Abol-Qasem Aghajani was a renowned poet and author who was influential in the Iranian literary movement of the time. Additionally, Mirza Yousef Aghajani served as a diplomat and ambassador for the Persian Empire, representing Iran's interests in various European capitals.
In the early 20th century, Hossein Aghajani was a prominent Iranian politician and statesman who played a key role in the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1911. He served as a member of the Iranian Parliament and was known for his advocacy of democratic reforms and civil liberties.
While the Aghajani surname is most commonly associated with Iran, it has also been recorded in other parts of the Middle East and Central Asia, likely due to migration and cultural exchange throughout the region's history. Regardless of its geographic spread, the name Aghajani remains deeply rooted in Persian culture and tradition, evoking notions of nobility, scholarship, and leadership.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aghajani
Among Census respondents with the surname Aghajani, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Aghajani 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 Aghajani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 193
- Two or more races5.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 4
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aghajani
Aghajani 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
#106,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
+58 bearers (+53.2%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 34,186 places
2020
#93,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
+43 bearers (+25.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 12,943 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #106,570 | 167 | 0.06 | +58 bearers (+53.2%) | Up 34,186 places |
| 2020 | #93,627 | 210 | 0.07 | +43 bearers (+25.7%) | Up 12,943 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 Aghajani 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 | #106,570 | #93,627 | 12.1% |
| Count | 167 | 210 | 25.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aghajani bearers went from 167 to 210 (+25.7% change). The surname moved up 12,943 positions in the national ranking, going from #106,570 to #93,627.
FAQ
Aghajani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aghajani?
Name Census estimates that about 241 living Americans carry the surname Aghajani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,422,217 residents.
How common is Aghajani?
Aghajani ranks #93,627 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 210 people with the surname Aghajani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aghajani.
Has Aghajani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aghajani went from 167 recorded bearers to 210. That is an increase of 43 (+25.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #106,570 to #93,627.
What does the Census say about the background of Aghajani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aghajani, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aghajani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aghajani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Aghajani (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 Aghajani mean?
A Persian surname referring to a person from Aghajan, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran. 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 Aghajani (0.07 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 people are called Aghajani?
See how many Americans have the surname Aghajani on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.