2000
#91,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Aryan
A surname indicating membership in the Indo-European language group or ethnic identity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 498 Americans carry the last name Aryan. That puts it at #51,779 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 688,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aryan 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.
Bearers in the US
498
1 in 688,262
Census rank
#51,779
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
434
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 434 bearers of the surname Aryan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51779th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aryan, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.8%) and Two or More Races (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aryan
The surname "Aryan" is believed to have originated in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) during the early centuries of the first millennium BCE. It is derived from the Old Persian word "arya," which means "noble" or "honorable." The name was initially used to refer to the Indo-Iranian people who migrated from Central Asia into the Indian subcontinent and the Iranian Plateau.
In ancient Sanskrit texts, such as the Rigveda and the Avesta, the term "Aryan" was used to describe the dominant ethnic group in the region. It was associated with the predominant cultural and linguistic traditions of the time. The name gained prominence as the Persian Empire expanded, and the term was adopted by various ruling dynasties and noble families.
One of the earliest known references to the name "Aryan" can be found in the Behistun Inscription, a multi-lingual inscription carved by the Persian King Darius the Great (circa 522-486 BCE) near the modern city of Kermanshah, Iran. This inscription mentions the term "arya" to describe the ethnic and linguistic identity of the Persian people.
During the medieval period, the name "Aryan" was less commonly used as a surname but was still present in various regions of the Persian cultural sphere. Notable individuals who bore the surname include the Persian poet and scholar Abul-Qasim Firdausi Aryan (940-1020 CE), known for his epic masterpiece, the Shahnameh, and the Sufi mystic and poet Farid al-Din Attar Aryan (circa 1145-1221 CE).
As the Persian Empire expanded and interacted with other cultures, the name "Aryan" also gained recognition in adjacent regions. For instance, in India, the term was used to describe the Indo-Aryan people who migrated from the northwest and established settlements along the Indus River Valley and the Gangetic plains.
Other notable individuals with the surname "Aryan" throughout history include the Persian mathematician and astronomer Ghiyath al-Din Jamshid Mas'ud al-Kashi Aryan (circa 1380-1429 CE), known for his contributions to the development of trigonometry and astronomical tables, and the Iranian philosopher and writer Sadegh Hedayat Aryan (1903-1951 CE), renowned for his influential works that explored themes of social alienation and existentialism.
It is worth noting that while the term "Aryan" has been used in various historical contexts to describe ethnic and linguistic groups, its usage and connotations have evolved over time, particularly in the modern era, where it has been associated with controversial ideologies and movements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aryan
Among Census respondents with the surname Aryan, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.8%) and Two or More Races (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Aryan 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 Aryan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.3% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander37.8% · 164
- Two or more races10.8% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aryan
Aryan 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
#69,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 284
+96 bearers (+51.1%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 21,834 places
2020
#51,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 434
+150 bearers (+52.8%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 17,391 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,004 | 188 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #69,170 | 284 | 0.10 | +96 bearers (+51.1%) | Up 21,834 places |
| 2020 | #51,779 | 434 | 0.15 | +150 bearers (+52.8%) | Up 17,391 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 Aryan 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 | #69,170 | #51,779 | 25.1% |
| Count | 284 | 434 | 52.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.15 | 45.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aryan bearers went from 284 to 434 (+52.8% change). The surname moved up 17,391 positions in the national ranking, going from #69,170 to #51,779.
FAQ
Aryan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aryan?
Name Census estimates that about 498 living Americans carry the surname Aryan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 688,262 residents.
How common is Aryan?
Aryan ranks #51,779 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 434 people with the surname Aryan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (498), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aryan.
Has Aryan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aryan went from 284 recorded bearers to 434. That is an increase of 150 (+52.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #69,170 to #51,779.
What does the Census say about the background of Aryan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aryan, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.8%) and Two or More Races (10.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aryan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.3% (201 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aryan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (37.8%), Two or More Races (10.8%). 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 Aryan (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 Aryan mean?
A surname indicating membership in the Indo-European language group or ethnic identity. 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 Aryan (0.15 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 Aryan?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Aryan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.