2000
#22,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,045
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Akhter
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "the last," "the end," or "that which comes last."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,514 Americans carry the last name Akhter. That puts it at #10,036 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,540 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Akhter 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 Akhter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,540
Census rank
#10,036
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,064 bearers of the surname Akhter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10036th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Akhter, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Akhter
The surname "AKHTER" has its origins in the Persian and Arabic languages. It is derived from the word "akhtar," which means "star" or "planet" in both languages. This name is commonly found among Muslim communities in South Asia, particularly in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
The surname "AKHTER" can be traced back to the 7th century, when the Islamic conquests brought Arabic and Persian influences to the Indian subcontinent. During this period, many people adopted surnames derived from Arabic and Persian words, reflecting their religious or cultural affiliations.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name "AKHTER" can be found in the writings of the famous Sufi poet, Amir Khusrau (1253-1325 CE), who was born in present-day India. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Hindustani language and is often referred to as the "Parrot of India" due to his exceptional literary talents.
Another notable historical figure with the surname "AKHTER" is Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869 CE), a renowned Urdu and Persian poet from Delhi. His poetry, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition, has had a profound influence on the development of Urdu literature.
In the realm of science, Dr. Abdus Salam (1926-1996 CE), a theoretical physicist from Pakistan, made significant contributions to the field of particle physics. He was the first Muslim to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 for his work on the electroweak unification theory.
Moving to more recent times, Javed Akhter (born 1945) is a celebrated Indian poet, lyricist, and screenwriter. He has won numerous awards, including the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, for his contributions to literature and cinema.
Another notable figure is Fatima Akhter (1928-2022), a Bangladeshi writer and activist who played a significant role in the Bengali language movement and the liberation struggle of Bangladesh. She was awarded the Ekushey Padak, the highest civilian honor in Bangladesh, for her contributions to literature and social reform.
It is important to note that while the surname "AKHTER" has its roots in the Persian and Arabic languages, it has been embraced and adapted by various cultures and communities across South Asia, each with their own unique traditions and histories associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Akhter
Among Census respondents with the surname Akhter, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Akhter 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 Akhter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.8% · 2,935
- White1.6% · 48
- Two or more races1.5% · 47
- Black or African American0.5% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Akhter
Akhter 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
#15,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,955
+910 bearers (+87.1%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 7,780 places
2020
#10,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,064
+1,109 bearers (+56.7%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 5,054 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,870 | 1,045 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,090 | 1,955 | 0.66 | +910 bearers (+87.1%) | Up 7,780 places |
| 2020 | #10,036 | 3,064 | 1.03 | +1,109 bearers (+56.7%) | Up 5,054 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 Akhter 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 | #15,090 | #10,036 | 33.5% |
| Count | 1,955 | 3,064 | 56.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 1.03 | 55.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Akhter bearers went from 1,955 to 3,064 (+56.7% change). The surname moved up 5,054 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,090 to #10,036.
FAQ
Akhter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Akhter?
Name Census estimates that about 3,514 living Americans carry the surname Akhter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,540 residents.
How common is Akhter?
Akhter ranks #10,036 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,064 people with the surname Akhter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,514), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Akhter.
Has Akhter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Akhter went from 1,955 recorded bearers to 3,064. That is an increase of 1,109 (+56.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,090 to #10,036.
What does the Census say about the background of Akhter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Akhter, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Akhter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (2,935 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Akhter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.8%), White (1.6%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Akhter (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 Akhter mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "the last," "the end," or "that which comes last." 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 Akhter (1.03 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 have the last name Akhter?
Find out how many people have the last name Akhter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.