Find out how popular the last name Avakian is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Avakian.

Avakian, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Avakian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Avakian in America

Avakian is the 21119th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Avakian surname appeared 1,243 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Avakian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Avakian to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Avakian

The surname Avakian originated from Armenia, deriving from the Armenian name Avak or Hovak, which itself comes from the ancient Armenian word "avak" meaning "elder" or "ancestor." The earliest known records of this surname date back to the 14th century in the historical region of Artsakh, which is now part of modern-day Nagorno-Karabakh.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Avakian surname can be found in a 15th-century manuscript from the Gandzasar Monastery, where a scribe named Hovhannes Avakian is mentioned. This manuscript is now preserved in the Matenadaran, the repository of ancient manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia.

In the 17th century, the Avakian family was prominent in the town of Shushi, which was a center of Armenian culture and commerce in Artsakh. Notable members of the family during this time include the merchant and philanthropist Hovhannes Avakian (1635-1701), who funded the construction of several churches and schools in the region.

The Avakian surname also has a strong connection to the nearby region of Syunik. In the 19th century, the village of Avakian (now called Avakyanner) in the Syunik Province was named after a local family bearing this surname. One of the most famous individuals from this village was the writer and educator Khachen Avakian (1841-1911), who played a significant role in promoting Armenian literature and education.

Another notable figure with the Avakian surname was Arshak Avakian (1884-1944), a revolutionary and politician who served as the first Prime Minister of the short-lived Armenian Republic of Mountainous Armenia in 1923. He was also a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) and played a crucial role in the Armenian national liberation movement.

In the 20th century, the Avakian surname gained international recognition through the work of the American philosopher and activist George Avakian (1919-2020). Born in Armavir, Armenia, he immigrated to the United States and became a prominent figure in the jazz music industry, working as a record producer and writer. Avakian also played a significant role in the civil rights movement, advocating for racial equality and social justice.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Avakian

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Avakian.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Avakian was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Avakian has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Avakian was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Avakian, please contact us.

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