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

Amin, 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 Amin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Amin in America

Amin is the 3243rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Amin surname appeared 11,137 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Amin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Amin 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 Amin

The surname Amin has its origins in the Arabic language and can be traced back to regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic word "amin," which means "trustworthy" or "faithful." The name was likely first adopted as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who were considered trustworthy or faithful in their communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Amin can be found in historical documents from the late 10th century, where it appears in records from the Abbasid Caliphate, a dynasty that ruled a vast empire spanning parts of modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Egypt. During this period, the name was particularly prevalent among scholars, religious leaders, and officials within the caliphate.

In the 12th century, the surname Amin appeared in manuscripts from the Fatimid Caliphate, a Shia Islamic caliphate that ruled over parts of modern-day Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. These manuscripts often mentioned individuals with the surname Amin in positions of authority or as respected members of the community.

As the Arabic-speaking world expanded through conquests and trade, the surname Amin spread to various regions, including the Iberian Peninsula, parts of Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. In these regions, the name sometimes underwent slight variations in spelling or pronunciation, reflecting local linguistic influences.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Amin:

1. Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi (1236-1311), a renowned Persian polymath and philosopher.
2. Ahmad al-Amin (1886-1954), a Lebanese writer and historian known for his works on Arab history and culture.
3. Idi Amin (1925-2003), the controversial former president of Uganda, known for his brutal military dictatorship.
4. Samir Amin (1931-2018), an Egyptian-French Marxist economist and scholar known for his work on dependency theory and globalization.
5. Anwar Amin (1953-present), an Egyptian novelist and short story writer, known for his works exploring social and political issues.

It is worth noting that the surname Amin has also been associated with various place names throughout the Middle East and North Africa, reflecting the geographical spread of the name over centuries. However, the exact origins and earliest recorded instances of these place names are often difficult to pinpoint due to the limitations of historical records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Amin

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

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

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

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