2000
#16,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,586
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Ashraf
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "most honorable," "most noble," or "most distinguished."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,883 Americans carry the last name Ashraf. That puts it at #9,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ashraf 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 Ashraf with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,270
Census rank
#9,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,386 bearers of the surname Ashraf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashraf, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ashraf
The surname ASHRAF is of Arabic origin and can be traced back to the Middle East, specifically the Arabian Peninsula, during the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic word "Ashrāf," which means "noble" or "distinguished." The name was initially used to refer to individuals who belonged to the noble class or had a close connection to the Prophet Muhammad's family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ASHRAF can be found in historical manuscripts from the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled over a vast region spanning from North Africa to Central Asia between the 8th and 13th centuries AD. These manuscripts often mentioned individuals with the surname ASHRAF who held positions of authority or played significant roles in the caliphate's administration.
As the Islamic empire expanded, the name ASHRAF spread to various regions, including Persia (modern-day Iran), Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. In some regions, the name took on variations in spelling, such as ASHRAF or ASHRAFI, reflecting local linguistic influences.
One notable figure with the surname ASHRAF was Mir Ashraf Jahangir Simnani, a 14th-century Persian poet and mystic who was revered for his poetic works and contributions to Sufism. Another prominent individual was Ashrafi Hussain Khan, a 16th-century Mughal administrator and military commander who served under the emperor Akbar.
During the Ottoman Empire's reign in the Middle East and parts of Europe between the 14th and 20th centuries, the surname ASHRAF was also found among the ruling elite and influential families. One such individual was Ismail Ashraf Bey, an 18th-century Ottoman governor and diplomat who played a crucial role in the empire's affairs.
In the Indian subcontinent, the surname ASHRAF gained prominence during the Mughal Empire and the subsequent era of Muslim rule. Notable figures include Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, a 19th-century poet and scholar considered one of the greatest contributors to Urdu literature, and Muhammad Ashraf Ali Thanawi, a renowned 19th-century Islamic scholar and theologian.
Throughout history, the surname ASHRAF has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, poets, administrators, and military leaders, reflecting the name's noble and distinguished origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ashraf
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashraf, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ashraf 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 Ashraf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.8% · 2,906
- White6.7% · 227
- Two or more races3.9% · 132
- Black or African American2.0% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ashraf
Ashraf 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
#12,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,468
+882 bearers (+55.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 4,087 places
2020
#9,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,386
+918 bearers (+37.2%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 3,312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,635 | 1,586 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,548 | 2,468 | 0.84 | +882 bearers (+55.6%) | Up 4,087 places |
| 2020 | #9,236 | 3,386 | 1.13 | +918 bearers (+37.2%) | Up 3,312 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 Ashraf 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 | #12,548 | #9,236 | 26.4% |
| Count | 2,468 | 3,386 | 37.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 1.13 | 34.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ashraf bearers went from 2,468 to 3,386 (+37.2% change). The surname moved up 3,312 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,548 to #9,236.
FAQ
Ashraf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ashraf?
Name Census estimates that about 3,883 living Americans carry the surname Ashraf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,270 residents.
How common is Ashraf?
Ashraf ranks #9,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,386 people with the surname Ashraf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,883), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Ashraf.
Has Ashraf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ashraf went from 2,468 recorded bearers to 3,386. That is an increase of 918 (+37.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,548 to #9,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Ashraf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ashraf, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Ashraf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (2,906 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ashraf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.8%), White (6.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Ashraf (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 Ashraf mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "most honorable," "most noble," or "most distinguished." 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 Ashraf (1.13 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 many people have the last name Ashraf?
Want to know how many people have the surname Ashraf? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.