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

Arabi, 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 Arabi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arabi in America

Arabi is the 96368th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arabi surname appeared 189 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 Arabi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arabi 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 Arabi

The surname Arabi is an Arabic name that originated in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabian Peninsula. It derives from the Arabic word "Arab," which refers to the Semitic people and culture that emerged in the region.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Arabi can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the rise of the Islamic caliphates. As the Arab civilization expanded across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe, the name Arabi became associated with individuals and families from these regions.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Arabi is found in the writings of the renowned scholar and historian Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406 CE). In his monumental work, "The Muqaddimah," he mentions several individuals with the surname Arabi, suggesting its widespread use during that period.

The name Arabi also appears in various historical documents and records from the medieval period, such as the chronicles of the Crusades and the accounts of Arab travelers and explorers. For instance, the famous Arab geographer and explorer Ibn Battuta (1304-1369 CE) is often referred to as "Ibn Battuta al-Arabi" in some manuscripts.

Notable individuals with the surname Arabi include:

1. Ibn Arabi (1165-1240 CE), a renowned Sufi mystic and philosopher from Murcia, Spain, known for his influential works on Islamic mysticism and metaphysics.
2. Muhammad al-Arabi al-Darqawi (1760-1823 CE), a Moroccan Sufi scholar and founder of the Darqawi Sufi order, which played a significant role in the spiritual and intellectual life of North Africa.
3. Qays al-Arabi (920-996 CE), an Arab poet and literary figure from Basra, Iraq, celebrated for his contributions to Arabic poetry and literature.
4. Ahmad al-Arabi (1561-1637 CE), an Egyptian scholar and polymath known for his works in various fields, including astronomy, mathematics, and geography.
5. Shihab al-Din Yahya al-Arabi (1592-1668 CE), a renowned Ottoman scholar and jurist from Damascus, known for his expertise in Islamic law and theology.

The surname Arabi has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations, reflecting the widespread presence of Arab communities across different regions. Some examples include Al-Arabi, a town in Saudi Arabia, and Arabi, a neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arabi

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

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

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

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