2000
#14,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,886
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Akbar
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "greatest" or "greatest one," often bestowed as an honorific title.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,548 Americans carry the last name Akbar. That puts it at #9,956 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,605 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Akbar 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 Akbar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 96,605
Census rank
#9,956
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,094 bearers of the surname Akbar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9956th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Akbar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and White (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Akbar
The surname "AKBAR" originates from the Persian language, and it is believed to have first emerged during the Mughal Empire period in India, which spanned from the early 16th century to the mid-19th century. The name is derived from the Arabic word "akbar," which means "great" or "greatest."
The earliest recorded use of the surname AKBAR can be traced back to the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, who ruled from 1556 to 1605. He was one of the most influential and powerful rulers of the Mughal Empire, known for his religious tolerance, administrative reforms, and patronage of art and culture.
Historical records from the Mughal era, such as the Akbarnama, a biographical account of Akbar's life and reign, contain numerous references to individuals with the surname AKBAR, many of whom were high-ranking officials, nobles, or members of the royal court.
One notable figure with the surname AKBAR was Ghazi Malik Akbar, a military commander who served under Akbar the Great and played a crucial role in the conquest of Gujarat in 1572. Another prominent individual was Mirza Aziz Koka Akbar, a poet and nobleman who served as a governor during Akbar's reign.
In the later years of the Mughal Empire, the surname AKBAR continued to be used by individuals associated with the ruling dynasty or those who sought to establish connections with the illustrious Akbar the Great. For example, Mirza Akbar Khan was a Mughal nobleman and military commander who fought against the British East India Company in the late 18th century.
Beyond the Mughal Empire, the surname AKBAR has been adopted by people across various regions of South Asia and the Middle East, often as a way to honor the legacy of Akbar the Great or to express a sense of greatness or nobility.
It is worth noting that the surname AKBAR has also been used in various transliterations and spellings, such as Akbari, Akbaree, or Akbary, reflecting the linguistic diversity and regional variations within the regions where the name was adopted.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Akbar
Among Census respondents with the surname Akbar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and White (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Akbar 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 Akbar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander57.0% · 1,764
- Black or African American23.2% · 719
- White8.7% · 268
- Two or more races7.5% · 232
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Akbar
Akbar 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
#12,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,567
+681 bearers (+36.1%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 2,359 places
2020
#9,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,094
+527 bearers (+20.5%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 2,180 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,495 | 1,886 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,136 | 2,567 | 0.87 | +681 bearers (+36.1%) | Up 2,359 places |
| 2020 | #9,956 | 3,094 | 1.04 | +527 bearers (+20.5%) | Up 2,180 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 Akbar 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 | #12,136 | #9,956 | 18.0% |
| Count | 2,567 | 3,094 | 20.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 1.04 | 19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Akbar bearers went from 2,567 to 3,094 (+20.5% change). The surname moved up 2,180 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,136 to #9,956.
FAQ
Akbar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Akbar?
Name Census estimates that about 3,548 living Americans carry the surname Akbar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,605 residents.
How common is Akbar?
Akbar ranks #9,956 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,094 people with the surname Akbar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,548), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Akbar.
Has Akbar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Akbar went from 2,567 recorded bearers to 3,094. That is an increase of 527 (+20.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,136 to #9,956.
What does the Census say about the background of Akbar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Akbar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and White (8.7%). 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 Akbar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.0% (1,764 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Akbar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (57.0%), Black (23.2%), White (8.7%). 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 Akbar (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 Akbar mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "greatest" or "greatest one," often bestowed as an honorific title. 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 Akbar (1.04 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 Akbar?
Find out how common the surname Akbar is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.