2000
#63,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 294
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Aslanyan
A surname of Armenian origin meaning "lion" or "descendant of a lion".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 584 Americans carry the last name Aslanyan. That puts it at #45,303 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 586,908 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aslanyan 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
584
1 in 586,908
Census rank
#45,303
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
509
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 509 bearers of the surname Aslanyan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45303rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aslanyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Black (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aslanyan
The surname ASLANYAN originates from Armenia, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Armenian word "artsiv," meaning "lion," and the suffix "-yan," which denotes belonging or descent. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was associated with lions, either symbolically or through a profession such as a lion tamer or hunter.
Historical references to the ASLANYAN surname can be found in various Armenian manuscripts and records. One notable mention is in the Codex Matenadaran, a collection of ancient Armenian manuscripts housed in the Matenadaran Museum in Yerevan. The codex contains a reference to an individual named Hovhannes Aslanyan, who lived in the 17th century and was a prominent scholar and translator.
In the 18th century, the ASLANYAN surname appeared in the records of the Armenian Apostolic Church, indicating its presence among the Armenian diaspora communities scattered across the Ottoman Empire and beyond. One renowned figure from this era was Khatchatur Aslanyan, a skilled architect who designed several churches and monasteries in the region of Artsakh (modern-day Nagorno-Karabakh).
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable ASLANYAN individuals, including Mkrtich Aslanyan, a renowned writer and poet who played a significant role in the Armenian literary renaissance. Another prominent figure was Harutyun Aslanyan, a military commander who fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide and later became a general in the First Republic of Armenia.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the ASLANYAN surname was Hrant Aslanyan, a celebrated actor and director who made significant contributions to the Armenian theater and film industry. He was born in 1905 and passed away in 1982.
While the ASLANYAN surname has its roots in Armenia, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly among the Armenian diaspora communities. However, it remains closely tied to its Armenian heritage and continues to be a prominent surname within the Armenian cultural and historical context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aslanyan
Among Census respondents with the surname Aslanyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Black (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Aslanyan 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 Aslanyan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.6% · 502
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
- Two or more races0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aslanyan
Aslanyan 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
#49,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 423
+129 bearers (+43.9%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 13,814 places
2020
#45,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 509
+86 bearers (+20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 4,333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #63,450 | 294 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,636 | 423 | 0.14 | +129 bearers (+43.9%) | Up 13,814 places |
| 2020 | #45,303 | 509 | 0.17 | +86 bearers (+20.3%) | Up 4,333 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 Aslanyan 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 | #49,636 | #45,303 | 8.7% |
| Count | 423 | 509 | 20.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.17 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aslanyan bearers went from 423 to 509 (+20.3% change). The surname moved up 4,333 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,636 to #45,303.
FAQ
Aslanyan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aslanyan?
Name Census estimates that about 584 living Americans carry the surname Aslanyan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 586,908 residents.
How common is Aslanyan?
Aslanyan ranks #45,303 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 509 people with the surname Aslanyan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (584), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Aslanyan.
Has Aslanyan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aslanyan went from 423 recorded bearers to 509. That is an increase of 86 (+20.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #49,636 to #45,303.
What does the Census say about the background of Aslanyan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aslanyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Black (0.2%). 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 Aslanyan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.6% (502 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aslanyan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.6%), Hispanic (0.8%), Black (0.2%). 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 Aslanyan (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 Aslanyan mean?
A surname of Armenian origin meaning "lion" or "descendant of a lion". 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 Aslanyan (0.17 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 Aslanyan?
See how common the surname Aslanyan is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.