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

Arifi, 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 Arifi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arifi in America

Arifi is the 89753rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arifi surname appeared 206 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 Arifi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arifi 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 Arifi

The surname Arifi is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language and is predominantly found in countries with significant Arab populations, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East. One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 12th century in Morocco, where it was associated with the Arifi tribe, a Berber ethnic group native to the region.

Arifi is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "arif," which translates to "knowledgeable" or "wise." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals who were considered learned or possessed a deep understanding of a particular subject, such as religion, philosophy, or literature.

In the 13th century, the name Arifi appeared in several historical documents from the Marinid dynasty, which ruled over parts of modern-day Morocco, Algeria, and Spain. One notable figure from this period was Abu al-Hasan al-Arifi, a renowned scholar and jurist who served as the chief judge (qadi al-qudat) during the reign of Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Nasr (1286-1307).

As the Arab influence spread across North Africa and the Middle East, the surname Arifi traveled with the various migrations and conquests. In the 16th century, the name is found in Ottoman Empire records, particularly in regions such as Syria and Iraq, where it was associated with prominent families and scholars.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Arifi surname outside of North Africa was Muhammad al-Arifi, a 15th-century scholar and poet from Damascus, Syria. His works on Islamic jurisprudence and literature earned him widespread recognition in the intellectual circles of his time.

Another notable figure was Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Arifi (1719-1793), a prominent Sufi scholar and spiritual leader from Mecca, who played a significant role in the propagation of Islamic teachings in the Arabian Peninsula.

In the 19th century, the Arifi surname gained recognition in Egypt, where several prominent individuals bore this name, including Muhammad Arifi Pasha (1827-1901), a statesman and political figure who served as the Prime Minister of Egypt during the reign of Khedive Ismail Pasha.

While the Arifi surname is predominantly found in Arab-speaking countries, it has also been recorded in various regions due to migration and cultural exchange. Notably, the name appears in historical records from Spain, where it was likely introduced during the Moorish rule, and in parts of Central and South Asia, where it may have been adopted through trade and intellectual exchanges along the Silk Road.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arifi

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

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

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

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