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

Arab, 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 Arab surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arab in America

Arab is the 43285th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arab surname appeared 499 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Arab.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arab 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 Arab

The surname "ARAB" is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the Arab world. It is a name that can be traced back to the medieval era, around the 7th to 10th centuries.

The name is derived from the Arabic word "Arab," which refers to the ethnic group and language of the Arab people. It is likely that the surname was initially given to individuals who were of Arab descent or had connections to Arab culture and traditions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "ARAB" can be found in ancient manuscripts and chronicles from the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled parts of the Middle East and North Africa from the 8th to the 13th centuries. These documents mention individuals with the surname "ARAB" holding various positions within the caliphate's administration and military.

In the 11th century, the name appeared in records related to the Seljuk Empire, which controlled vast territories across Asia and the Middle East. Several notable figures with the surname "ARAB" were mentioned, including scholars, poets, and military commanders.

During the Crusades, which took place between the 11th and 13th centuries, the name "ARAB" was also documented in chronicles and accounts written by European travelers and historians. These sources often referred to individuals with this surname as Arabs or individuals of Arab descent.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "ARAB" was Abu Bakr al-Arab, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in Andalusia (present-day Spain) during the 11th century. He was known for his contributions to Arabic literature and his expertise in various fields, including grammar and theology.

Another notable figure was Ibn al-Arab, a 12th-century Andalusian philosopher and mystic. He was widely regarded for his spiritual teachings and writings, which influenced the development of Sufism, a mystical tradition within Islam.

In the 13th century, the surname "ARAB" was mentioned in connection with the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled over Egypt and parts of the Levant. One prominent individual was Baibars al-Arab, a Mamluk sultan who reigned from 1260 to 1277. He was known for his military campaigns against the Crusaders and for strengthening the Mamluk Empire.

During the Ottoman Empire's rule over the Middle East and parts of Europe, the surname "ARAB" continued to be present in various records and documents. One notable figure was Hasan al-Arab, a 16th-century Ottoman scholar and poet who contributed to the literary and intellectual life of the empire.

In the 19th century, the surname "ARAB" gained further recognition with the birth of Abd al-Rahman al-Arab, a Syrian-born scholar and reformer. He played a significant role in the intellectual and cultural renaissance of the Arab world, advocating for modernization and educational reforms.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arab

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Arab, 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!