2000
#25,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 888
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Arshad
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "rightly guided" or "righteous".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,709 Americans carry the last name Arshad. That puts it at #12,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arshad 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 Arshad with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,524
Census rank
#12,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,362 bearers of the surname Arshad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arshad, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arshad
The surname Arshad originated in the Arabian Peninsula during the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic word "arshada," which means "to guide" or "to lead." The name likely referred to someone who was a guide or leader within their community.
The earliest known references to the name Arshad date back to the 9th century, when it appeared in various Arabic manuscripts and historical records. Some of the earliest recorded examples include Arshad ibn al-Walid, a famous poet and scholar who lived in Basra during the 9th century, and Arshad al-Baghdadi, a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who lived in Baghdad in the 10th century.
During the 11th and 12th centuries, the name Arshad became more widespread as the Arab conquests and the spread of Islam brought the name to different regions of the Middle East and North Africa. One notable figure from this period was Arshad al-Dimashqi, a Syrian historian and geographer who lived in Damascus in the 12th century.
As the name spread, it also took on various spellings and variations in different regions. For example, in some parts of North Africa, the name was spelled "Arshid," while in parts of the Levant, it was sometimes spelled "Arshad."
One of the most famous bearers of the name Arshad was Arshad al-Dawla, a Persian prince and military commander who ruled over parts of modern-day Iran and Iraq in the 10th century. He was known for his skills on the battlefield and his patronage of the arts and sciences.
Another notable figure with the surname Arshad was Arshad Khan, a Mughal nobleman and military commander who served under the emperors Akbar and Jahangir in the 16th and 17th centuries. He was known for his bravery and loyalty and played a significant role in the expansion of the Mughal Empire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Arshad also appeared in various place names throughout the Middle East and North Africa, such as the town of Arshad in modern-day Iran and the village of Arshad in Morocco.
Over time, the surname Arshad has spread to various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Muslim populations. However, its origins can be traced back to the Arabian Peninsula, where it first emerged as a name associated with guidance and leadership.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arshad
Among Census respondents with the surname Arshad, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Arshad 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 Arshad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.0% · 2,126
- White4.7% · 112
- Two or more races2.6% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 31
- Black or African American1.3% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arshad
Arshad 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
#17,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,588
+700 bearers (+78.8%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Up 8,296 places
2020
#12,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,362
+774 bearers (+48.7%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 5,147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,969 | 888 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,673 | 1,588 | 0.54 | +700 bearers (+78.8%) | Up 8,296 places |
| 2020 | #12,526 | 2,362 | 0.79 | +774 bearers (+48.7%) | Up 5,147 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 Arshad 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 | #17,673 | #12,526 | 29.1% |
| Count | 1,588 | 2,362 | 48.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.79 | 46.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arshad bearers went from 1,588 to 2,362 (+48.7% change). The surname moved up 5,147 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,673 to #12,526.
FAQ
Arshad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arshad?
Name Census estimates that about 2,709 living Americans carry the surname Arshad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,524 residents.
How common is Arshad?
Arshad ranks #12,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,362 people with the surname Arshad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,709), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Arshad.
Has Arshad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arshad went from 1,588 recorded bearers to 2,362. That is an increase of 774 (+48.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,673 to #12,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Arshad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arshad, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Arshad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (2,126 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arshad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.0%), White (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Arshad (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 Arshad mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "rightly guided" or "righteous". 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 Arshad (0.79 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 common is the surname Arshad?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Arshad at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.