2000
#45,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 442
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Rare Last name
Azer
Possibly a variant of Asir, derived from Turkic elements meaning "wanderer" or "traveler".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,019 Americans carry the last name Azer. That puts it at #28,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 336,363 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Azer 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
1.0K
1 in 336,363
Census rank
#28,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
889
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 889 bearers of the surname Azer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Azer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Azer
The surname AZER is believed to have originated in the Middle East, particularly in the region now known as Azerbaijan, sometime around the 11th or 12th century. It is derived from the Persian word "azar," which means "fire" or "flame," suggesting that the name may have initially been associated with metalworkers or those who worked with fire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname AZER can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the city of Tabriz, which was a major cultural and commercial center in medieval Azerbaijan. The document mentions an individual named Azeri, which is likely a variant spelling of AZER.
During the 14th century, the AZER surname began to spread beyond Azerbaijan, appearing in parts of present-day Iran, Turkey, and other neighboring regions. This was likely due to the migration of Azerbaijani merchants and artisans, who carried their surnames with them as they traveled for trade or settled in new areas.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Mirza Azer, a poet and calligrapher from the city of Shamakhi in Azerbaijan, became renowned for his literary works and calligraphic skills. His fame helped to further establish the AZER surname in the region.
Another prominent individual with the AZER surname was Haji Murad Azer, a 19th-century military leader and nobleman from the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. He played a significant role in the resistance against Russian imperial expansion in the Caucasus region during the early 19th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals bearing the AZER surname was Bulbul Azer, an Azerbaijani singer and actor who was born in 1897 and died in 1982. He was widely celebrated for his contributions to Azerbaijani music and his performances in numerous films and stage productions.
It's worth noting that the surname AZER has also been found in various European countries, such as France and Germany, likely due to the migration and settlement of individuals from the Middle East or their descendants over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Azer
Among Census respondents with the surname Azer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Azer 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 Azer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 834
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 23
- Two or more races1.9% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Azer
Azer 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
#34,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 645
+203 bearers (+45.9%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 10,606 places
2020
#28,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 889
+244 bearers (+37.8%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Up 6,441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,573 | 442 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,967 | 645 | 0.22 | +203 bearers (+45.9%) | Up 10,606 places |
| 2020 | #28,526 | 889 | 0.30 | +244 bearers (+37.8%) | Up 6,441 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 Azer 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 | #34,967 | #28,526 | 18.4% |
| Count | 645 | 889 | 37.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.30 | 35.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Azer bearers went from 645 to 889 (+37.8% change). The surname moved up 6,441 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,967 to #28,526.
FAQ
Azer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Azer?
Name Census estimates that about 1,019 living Americans carry the surname Azer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 336,363 residents.
How common is Azer?
Azer ranks #28,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 889 people with the surname Azer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Azer.
Has Azer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Azer went from 645 recorded bearers to 889. That is an increase of 244 (+37.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #34,967 to #28,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Azer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Azer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Azer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (834 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Azer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Azer (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 Azer mean?
Possibly a variant of Asir, derived from Turkic elements meaning "wanderer" or "traveler". 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 Azer (0.30 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 share the surname Azer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.