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

Ahmed, 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 Ahmed surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ahmed in America

Ahmed is the 720th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ahmed surname appeared 48,319 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Ahmed.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ahmed 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 Ahmed

The surname Ahmed originates from the Arabic language and is derived from the root word "hamd," which means "praise" or "to praise." It is believed to have emerged in Arabia during the 6th or 7th century AD, around the time of the advent of Islam.

The name Ahmed is closely associated with the Islamic prophet Muhammad, whose full name was Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf. One of his honorific titles was "Ahmad," which means "the most praised one" or "the one who praises the most." This connection has contributed to the widespread use of the name Ahmed among Muslim communities worldwide.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ahmed can be found in the "Kitab al-Aghani" (The Book of Songs), a renowned anthology of Arabic poetry compiled in the 9th and 10th centuries. The book mentions several notable figures with the name Ahmed, including Ahmed ibn Abi Duad, a renowned Arab poet who lived in the 8th century.

During the medieval period, the name Ahmed was also present in various Islamic dynasties and empires. For example, Ahmed Shah Durrani, the founder of the Durrani Empire in present-day Afghanistan, was born in 1722 and ruled from 1747 until his death in 1772.

Another prominent figure with the surname Ahmed was Ahmed Ibn Tulun, a Turkish ruler who established the Tulunid Dynasty in Egypt in the 9th century. He is remembered for his architectural achievements, including the construction of the famous Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo.

In the realm of literature, Ahmed Shawqi, an Egyptian poet and playwright born in 1868, was widely regarded as the "Prince of Poets." He played a significant role in reviving the classical Arabic literary tradition and was celebrated for his mastery of the Arabic language.

Moving to more recent times, Ahmed Zewail, an Egyptian-American chemist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999 for his pioneering work in the field of femtochemistry. He was born in 1946 and passed away in 2016.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname Ahmed throughout history, reflecting its rich cultural and historical significance across various regions and disciplines.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ahmed

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

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 Ahmed 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 Ahmed 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 Ahmed was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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