2010
#101,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Ansar
A surname meaning "the helpers" or "companions" in Arabic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 353 Americans carry the last name Ansar. That puts it at #68,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 970,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ansar 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 Ansar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
353
1 in 970,975
Census rank
#68,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
308
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 308 bearers of the surname Ansar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ansar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and White (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ansar
The surname Ansar is believed to have originated in the Arabic-speaking regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic word "ansar," which translates to "helpers" or "supporters." The name is thought to have emerged during the early days of Islam, referring to the people of Medina who welcomed and supported the Prophet Muhammad and his companions after their migration from Mecca.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Ansar can be traced back to medieval Islamic texts and chronicles. One notable mention is found in the work of the renowned Islamic historian, Ibn Ishaq, who documented the lives of the Ansar and their pivotal role in the establishment of the first Muslim community in Medina.
In the 8th century, a famous figure named Abdullah bin Ansar gained prominence as a scholar and theologian in the city of Basra, located in present-day Iraq. His contributions to Islamic jurisprudence and his teachings on the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad made him a revered figure among the Ansar community.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from Baghdad between the 8th and 13th centuries, several prominent individuals bearing the surname Ansar held influential positions within the administration and scholarly circles. One such individual was Abu al-Qasim al-Ansar, a renowned poet and literary figure who lived in the 10th century.
In the 12th century, a renowned Sufi mystic and philosopher, Abu Bakr al-Ansar, gained a significant following in Andalusia, the Islamic-ruled region of modern-day Spain and Portugal. His teachings on the spiritual path and his poetry have left a lasting impact on Islamic mysticism.
Another notable figure was Fatima al-Ansar, a 13th-century scholar and poet from Granada, who made significant contributions to the literary and intellectual circles of her time. Her works on Islamic philosophy and theology were widely celebrated and studied.
Over the centuries, the surname Ansar has spread across various regions, with families bearing this name found in countries like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, and other parts of the Arab world. While the name's origins can be traced back to the early Islamic period, it has since become a part of the cultural heritage and identity of many communities throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ansar
Among Census respondents with the surname Ansar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and White (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ansar 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 Ansar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.0% · 234
- Black or African American10.4% · 32
- White7.5% · 23
- Two or more races3.6% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ansar
Ansar appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#68,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
+131 bearers (+74.0%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 32,948 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #101,737 | 177 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #68,789 | 308 | 0.10 | +131 bearers (+74.0%) | Up 32,948 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 Ansar 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 | #101,737 | #68,789 | 32.4% |
| Count | 177 | 308 | 74.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.10 | 71.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ansar bearers went from 177 to 308 (+74.0% change). The surname moved up 32,948 positions in the national ranking, going from #101,737 to #68,789.
FAQ
Ansar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ansar?
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the surname Ansar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 970,975 residents.
How common is Ansar?
Ansar ranks #68,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 308 people with the surname Ansar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (353), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ansar.
Has Ansar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ansar went from 177 recorded bearers to 308. That is an increase of 131 (+74.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #101,737 to #68,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Ansar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ansar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and White (7.5%). 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 Ansar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ansar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.0%), Black (10.4%), White (7.5%). 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 Ansar (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 Ansar mean?
A surname meaning "the helpers" or "companions" in Arabic. 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 Ansar (0.10 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 Ansar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Ansar at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.