2000
#18,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Aslam
A Muslim surname meaning "protection" or "guardian," derived from the Arabic word "aslama," meaning "to surrender" or "to find peace."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,187 Americans carry the last name Aslam. That puts it at #10,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,548 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aslam 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 Aslam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,548
Census rank
#10,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,779 bearers of the surname Aslam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aslam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aslam
The surname ASLAM originated from the Arabic language and has its roots in the Middle East, particularly in modern-day Saudi Arabia and the surrounding regions. The name is derived from the Arabic word "Islam," which means "submission to God" or "peace." This suggests that the surname ASLAM likely belonged to individuals who embraced the Islamic faith or were closely associated with it.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname ASLAM can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic expansion across the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. As the religion spread, individuals bearing this name may have traveled and settled in various parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and other regions influenced by Islamic culture.
One of the earliest known references to the surname ASLAM can be found in the "Sirat Rasul Allah" (Biography of the Messenger of God), a historical text written by Ibn Ishaq in the 8th century CE. This work mentions several companions of the Prophet Muhammad who bore names related to the word "Islam," potentially including individuals with the surname ASLAM.
During the medieval period, the surname ASLAM gained prominence in various Islamic dynasties and empires. For example, there are records of individuals with this name serving as scholars, administrators, and military leaders in the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE) and the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt (1250-1517 CE).
One notable figure with the surname ASLAM was Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Aslam, a renowned scholar and jurist who lived in the 9th century CE. He was born in Baghdad and gained recognition for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad).
Another prominent individual was Mustafa al-Aslam, a 14th-century poet and scholar from Damascus, Syria. His works, including poetry and literary criticism, were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the rich cultural heritage of the region.
In the 16th century, there are records of an Ottoman military commander named Aslam Pasha, who served under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He participated in numerous campaigns and played a significant role in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
During the 18th century, Aslam Khan was a prominent figure in the Mughal Empire, serving as a military leader and governor of the Punjab region in modern-day Pakistan and India.
It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the surname ASLAM may have occurred over time and across different regions, including ISLAM, ISLAMI, and ASLAMI, among others. Additionally, the surname may have been associated with certain place names or locations where individuals bearing this name resided or held influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aslam
Among Census respondents with the surname Aslam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Aslam 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 Aslam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.3% · 2,481
- White3.9% · 109
- Two or more races3.9% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 45
- Black or African American1.1% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aslam
Aslam 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
#14,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,995
+642 bearers (+47.5%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 3,900 places
2020
#10,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,779
+784 bearers (+39.3%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 3,900 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,748 | 1,353 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,848 | 1,995 | 0.68 | +642 bearers (+47.5%) | Up 3,900 places |
| 2020 | #10,948 | 2,779 | 0.93 | +784 bearers (+39.3%) | Up 3,900 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 Aslam 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 | #14,848 | #10,948 | 26.3% |
| Count | 1,995 | 2,779 | 39.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.93 | 36.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aslam bearers went from 1,995 to 2,779 (+39.3% change). The surname moved up 3,900 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,848 to #10,948.
FAQ
Aslam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aslam?
Name Census estimates that about 3,187 living Americans carry the surname Aslam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,548 residents.
How common is Aslam?
Aslam ranks #10,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,779 people with the surname Aslam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,187), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Aslam.
Has Aslam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aslam went from 1,995 recorded bearers to 2,779. That is an increase of 784 (+39.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,848 to #10,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Aslam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aslam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) 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 Aslam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,481 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aslam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.3%), White (3.9%), 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 Aslam (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 Aslam mean?
A Muslim surname meaning "protection" or "guardian," derived from the Arabic word "aslama," meaning "to surrender" or "to find peace." 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 Aslam (0.93 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 Americans have the surname Aslam?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.