2000
#22,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,070
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Awan
An Arabic surname meaning "assistance" or "helper".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,026 Americans carry the last name Awan. That puts it at #11,418 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Awan 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 Awan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,270
Census rank
#11,418
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,639 bearers of the surname Awan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11418th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Awan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Awan
The surname AWAN is of Arabic origin and traces its roots to the Middle East. It is believed to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula, specifically in the region now known as Saudi Arabia, during the medieval period.
The name AWAN is derived from the Arabic word 'awan', which means 'helper' or 'aid'. It is thought to have been initially given as a descriptive name to individuals who provided assistance or support to others, either in a professional or personal capacity.
In the early Islamic era, the surname AWAN appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, particularly those documenting the lives and achievements of prominent scholars, poets, and religious figures. One notable example is the 9th-century poet and writer, Abu'l-Awan al-Andalusi, who was born in Cordoba, Spain, in 807 CE and died in 858 CE.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname AWAN can be found in several medieval Arabic manuscripts, including the works of renowned historians like Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406 CE) and Al-Tabari (838-923 CE). Additionally, the name appeared in various administrative records and official documents from the Abbasid and Umayyad caliphates.
As the Islamic civilization expanded, individuals bearing the surname AWAN migrated to different regions, contributing to the diverse cultural and ethnic makeup of the areas they settled in. In the Indian subcontinent, for instance, the AWAN surname can be traced back to the 11th century, when several families with this name arrived from the Middle East and established themselves in various parts of the region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname AWAN. One such figure was Mirza Muhammad Awan (1771-1851), a prominent Sufi saint and scholar from the Awadh region of India. Another was Maulana Muhammad Awan (1875-1951), a renowned Islamic scholar and author from Punjab, Pakistan.
In the realm of literature, the name AWAN is associated with the 19th-century Urdu poet and writer, Mir Anis Awan (1802-1874), who was born in Delhi and is renowned for his contributions to the Urdu literary tradition.
The AWAN surname has also been carried by influential political figures, such as Muhammad Awan (1909-1980), a prominent Pakistani lawyer and politician who served as the President of Pakistan from 1973 to 1978.
While the surname AWAN has evolved over time and taken on various localized forms and spellings across different regions, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of the Middle East, where it originated as a descriptive name signifying assistance and support.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Awan
Among Census respondents with the surname Awan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Awan 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 Awan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.9% · 2,267
- White4.2% · 111
- Two or more races4.1% · 107
- Black or African American3.2% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Awan
Awan 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
#17,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,637
+567 bearers (+53.0%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 5,153 places
2020
#11,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,639
+1,002 bearers (+61.2%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 5,872 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,443 | 1,070 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,290 | 1,637 | 0.55 | +567 bearers (+53.0%) | Up 5,153 places |
| 2020 | #11,418 | 2,639 | 0.88 | +1,002 bearers (+61.2%) | Up 5,872 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 Awan 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 | #17,290 | #11,418 | 34.0% |
| Count | 1,637 | 2,639 | 61.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.88 | 60.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Awan bearers went from 1,637 to 2,639 (+61.2% change). The surname moved up 5,872 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,290 to #11,418.
FAQ
Awan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Awan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,026 living Americans carry the surname Awan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,270 residents.
How common is Awan?
Awan ranks #11,418 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,639 people with the surname Awan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Awan.
Has Awan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Awan went from 1,637 recorded bearers to 2,639. That is an increase of 1,002 (+61.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,290 to #11,418.
What does the Census say about the background of Awan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Awan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Awan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (2,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Awan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.9%), White (4.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Awan (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 Awan mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "assistance" or "helper". 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 Awan (0.88 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 Awan?
Find out how many people have the last name Awan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.