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

Ansari, 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 Ansari surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ansari in America

Ansari is the 7148th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ansari surname appeared 4,679 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Ansari.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ansari 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 Ansari

The surname Ansari has its origins in the Arab world, dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "ansar," which means "helpers" or "supporters." The name is closely associated with the early followers of the Prophet Muhammad, known as the Ansar, who welcomed and assisted him and his companions upon their arrival in Medina.

The Ansari surname is believed to have first emerged among the tribes of Medina who embraced Islam and pledged their allegiance to the Prophet. These tribes, including the Aws and Khazraj, played a crucial role in the establishment of the Islamic faith and the early Muslim community.

Historical records and manuscripts from the medieval period, such as the biographical works of Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham, mention various individuals with the surname Ansari. One notable figure is Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who hosted him upon his arrival in Medina and is buried in Istanbul, Turkey.

In the 11th century, the Ansari name appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals with this surname had already migrated to Europe during that time.

Over the centuries, the Ansari surname has been associated with several notable figures from various fields. One such individual is Khwaja Abdullah Ansari (1006-1088 CE), a renowned Sufi mystic and poet from Herat, Afghanistan. Another prominent figure is Maulana Abdul Haq Ansari (1551-1642 CE), a scholar and spiritual leader from Delhi, India.

In the literary realm, the Ansari surname is associated with Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869 CE), one of the most celebrated Urdu poets of the 19th century, who was born in Agra, India, and lived in Delhi. Additionally, Munshi Premchand (1880-1936 CE), widely regarded as the "Upanyas Samrat" (Emperor of Novelists) in Hindi literature, was born with the surname Ansari.

The Ansari surname has also been carried by notable figures in the field of science and technology. One example is Dr. Sami Ansari (1921-2012 CE), a prominent Pakistani physicist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of theoretical physics and served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Karachi.

Overall, the surname Ansari has a rich history deeply rooted in the early Islamic era and has been borne by individuals from various cultural, literary, and intellectual backgrounds across different regions of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ansari

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!