2000
#24,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 981
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Amini
A surname of Persian origin meaning "trustworthy" or "reliable".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,243 Americans carry the last name Amini. That puts it at #14,615 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amini 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 Amini with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 152,811
Census rank
#14,615
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,956 bearers of the surname Amini in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14615th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amini, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.1%) and Two or More Races (14.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amini
The surname Amini has its origins in Iran, where it is believed to have emerged in the 15th century. It is derived from the Persian word "amin," which means "trustworthy" or "reliable." The name was likely initially given as a descriptive title to individuals who were considered trustworthy or held positions of trust within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Amini can be found in the historical chronicles of the Safavid Dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1501 to 1736. These chronicles mention an individual named Amini who served as a trusted advisor to Shah Abbas I, one of the most influential rulers of the dynasty.
During the Qajar Dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1789 to 1925, the name Amini became more widespread. Several prominent figures bore this surname, including Mirza Mohammad Khan Amini, a renowned poet and calligrapher who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the 20th century, the name Amini gained further recognition with individuals such as Amir Hossein Amini (1897-1978), an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Iran from 1961 to 1962. Another notable figure was Sadegh Amini (1909-1985), an Iranian artist and painter known for his contributions to the modern art movement in Iran.
Outside of Iran, the name Amini can be found among Iranian diaspora communities around the world. For example, Anousheh Ansari (née Amini, born 1966) is an Iranian-American engineer and entrepreneur who became the first female space tourist in 2006.
It is worth noting that the name Amini has also been associated with various places in Iran. For instance, the village of Amini in the province of Mazandaran is believed to have derived its name from the surname, indicating a historical presence of individuals bearing this name in the region.
Throughout history, the surname Amini has carried a connotation of trustworthiness and reliability, reflecting the original meaning of the word from which it is derived. While the name has its roots in Iran, it has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals of Iranian descent who have made significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amini
Among Census respondents with the surname Amini, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.1%) and Two or More Races (14.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Amini 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 Amini surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 1,089
- Asian and Pacific Islander23.1% · 452
- Two or more races14.8% · 290
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 90
- Black or African American1.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amini
Amini 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
#20,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,302
+321 bearers (+32.7%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 3,599 places
2020
#14,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,956
+654 bearers (+50.2%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 5,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,007 | 981 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,408 | 1,302 | 0.44 | +321 bearers (+32.7%) | Up 3,599 places |
| 2020 | #14,615 | 1,956 | 0.65 | +654 bearers (+50.2%) | Up 5,793 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 Amini 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 | #20,408 | #14,615 | 28.4% |
| Count | 1,302 | 1,956 | 50.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.65 | 48.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amini bearers went from 1,302 to 1,956 (+50.2% change). The surname moved up 5,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,408 to #14,615.
FAQ
Amini surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amini?
Name Census estimates that about 2,243 living Americans carry the surname Amini. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,811 residents.
How common is Amini?
Amini ranks #14,615 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,956 people with the surname Amini. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,243), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Amini.
Has Amini become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amini went from 1,302 recorded bearers to 1,956. That is an increase of 654 (+50.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,408 to #14,615.
What does the Census say about the background of Amini?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amini, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.1%) and Two or More Races (14.8%). 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 Amini in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (1,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amini appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (23.1%), Two or More Races (14.8%). 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 Amini (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 Amini mean?
A surname of Persian origin meaning "trustworthy" or "reliable". 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 Amini (0.65 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 share the surname Amini?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.