2000
#22,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,051
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Amir
A noble or aristocratic surname derived from the Arabic word for prince or ruler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,696 Americans carry the last name Amir. That puts it at #12,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,134 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amir 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 Amir with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,134
Census rank
#12,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,351 bearers of the surname Amir in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amir, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (31.1%) and Black (13.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amir
The surname Amir originated in the Arabic-speaking regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic word "amir," which means "prince" or "ruler." The name can be traced back to the medieval period when it was used as a title for various Islamic rulers and military commanders.
One of the earliest known references to the name Amir is found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. The word "amir" is mentioned several times in the Quran, often referring to leaders or commanders. Additionally, many historical texts and manuscripts from the Islamic Golden Age, spanning the 8th to 13th centuries, contain references to individuals bearing the title "amir."
In the 10th century, during the Abbasid Caliphate, there were several prominent figures with the title "amir." One notable example is Amir al-Mu'minin, which translates to "Commander of the Faithful," and was a title held by the Abbasid caliphs.
Another historical figure with the name Amir was Amir Khusrau (1253-1325), a renowned Persian poet and scholar from the Indian subcontinent. He was a prolific writer and is considered one of the greatest poets in the Persian language.
In the 14th century, there was Amir Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1336-1405), a powerful Turko-Mongol conqueror who established the Timurid Empire. His military campaigns and conquests significantly reshaped the political landscape of Central Asia and the Middle East.
During the 16th century, in the Ottoman Empire, there was Amir Husayn Mirza (1537-1598), a prince and military commander who played a significant role in the Ottoman-Safavid Wars. He is also known for his contributions to Persian literature.
The name Amir has also been associated with various places and regions historically connected to the Arabic-speaking world. For instance, the city of Amir Kabir in present-day Iran was named after the 19th-century Iranian reformer and statesman, Amir Kabir.
While the surname Amir has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic history, it has since been adopted by various ethnic and cultural groups across regions with historical ties to the Middle East and North Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amir
Among Census respondents with the surname Amir, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (31.1%) and Black (13.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Amir 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 Amir surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander48.4% · 1,138
- White31.1% · 730
- Black or African American13.7% · 323
- Two or more races4.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amir
Amir 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
#17,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,639
+588 bearers (+55.9%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 5,509 places
2020
#12,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,351
+712 bearers (+43.4%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 4,704 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,783 | 1,051 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,274 | 1,639 | 0.56 | +588 bearers (+55.9%) | Up 5,509 places |
| 2020 | #12,570 | 2,351 | 0.79 | +712 bearers (+43.4%) | Up 4,704 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 Amir 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 | #17,274 | #12,570 | 27.2% |
| Count | 1,639 | 2,351 | 43.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.79 | 40.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amir bearers went from 1,639 to 2,351 (+43.4% change). The surname moved up 4,704 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,274 to #12,570.
FAQ
Amir surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amir?
Name Census estimates that about 2,696 living Americans carry the surname Amir. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,134 residents.
How common is Amir?
Amir ranks #12,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,351 people with the surname Amir. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,696), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Amir.
Has Amir become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amir went from 1,639 recorded bearers to 2,351. That is an increase of 712 (+43.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,274 to #12,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Amir?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amir, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (31.1%) and Black (13.7%). 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 Amir in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.4% (1,138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amir appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (48.4%), White (31.1%), Black (13.7%). 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 Amir (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 Amir mean?
A noble or aristocratic surname derived from the Arabic word for prince or ruler. 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 Amir (0.79 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 Amir?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Amir on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.