2000
#9,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,267
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Ansari
One who hails from Ansar, a city in the Medina region of western Saudi Arabia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,947 Americans carry the last name Ansari. That puts it at #5,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,338 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ansari 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 Ansari with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,338
Census rank
#5,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,058 bearers of the surname Ansari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ansari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.6%. The next largest groups are White (18.5%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ansari
Among Census respondents with the surname Ansari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.6%. The next largest groups are White (18.5%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ansari 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 Ansari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander67.6% · 4,098
- White18.5% · 1,123
- Two or more races7.0% · 425
- Black or African American4.8% · 289
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 116
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ansari
Ansari 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
#7,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,679
+1,412 bearers (+43.2%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Up 2,032 places
2020
#5,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,058
+1,379 bearers (+29.5%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Up 1,603 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,180 | 3,267 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,148 | 4,679 | 1.59 | +1,412 bearers (+43.2%) | Up 2,032 places |
| 2020 | #5,545 | 6,058 | 2.03 | +1,379 bearers (+29.5%) | Up 1,603 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 Ansari 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 | #7,148 | #5,545 | 22.4% |
| Count | 4,679 | 6,058 | 29.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 2.03 | 27.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ansari bearers went from 4,679 to 6,058 (+29.5% change). The surname moved up 1,603 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,148 to #5,545.
FAQ
Ansari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ansari?
Name Census estimates that about 6,947 living Americans carry the surname Ansari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,338 residents.
How common is Ansari?
Ansari ranks #5,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,058 people with the surname Ansari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,947), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ansari.
Has Ansari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ansari went from 4,679 recorded bearers to 6,058. That is an increase of 1,379 (+29.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,148 to #5,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Ansari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ansari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.6%. The next largest groups are White (18.5%) and Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Ansari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.6% (4,098 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ansari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (67.6%), White (18.5%), Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Ansari (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 Ansari mean?
One who hails from Ansar, a city in the Medina region of western Saudi Arabia. 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 Ansari (2.03 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 Americans have the surname Ansari?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.