2000
#34,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 624
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Rare Last name
Azimi
A surname derived from the Arabic word "azim" meaning great or magnificent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,522 Americans carry the last name Azimi. That puts it at #20,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 225,200 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Azimi 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 Azimi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 225,200
Census rank
#20,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,327 bearers of the surname Azimi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Azimi, the largest self-reported group is White at 43.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.8%) and Two or More Races (19.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Azimi
The surname Azimi has its origins in Iran, dating back to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Persian word 'Azim', meaning great, mighty or powerful. The name is believed to have been initially used as a title or honorific for individuals of high social standing or those who held positions of authority.
During the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century, the name Azimi appears in several historical records and manuscripts. One notable mention is found in the works of the renowned Persian poet and scholar, Ferdowsi, who lived from 940 to 1020 AD. In his epic masterpiece, the Shahnameh, Ferdowsi references a character named Azimi, highlighting the name's prominence during that era.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Azimi can be traced back to the 11th century. In a collection of Persian manuscripts from the Seljuk Empire period, several individuals bearing the name Azimi are mentioned, indicating their influential roles within the empire's administrative or military ranks.
Throughout history, the surname Azimi has been associated with several notable figures. One prominent example is Mirza Mohammad Khan Qazvini Azimi, a 19th-century Iranian diplomat and statesman who served as the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1823 to 1835. Another notable bearer of the name was Mirza Azimi Nuri, a 19th-century Iranian poet and calligrapher born in 1829.
In the realm of literature, the name Azimi is closely tied to the works of Sadegh Hedayat, one of the most influential Iranian writers of the 20th century. Hedayat's seminal novel, "The Blind Owl," published in 1937, features a character named Azimi, further cementing the name's literary significance.
Moving into the 20th century, the name Azimi has been carried by several prominent figures, including Mohammad Azimi, an Afghan politician and diplomat who served as the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan from 1963 to 1965, and Fazlollah Azimi, an Iranian theologian and scholar born in 1910, known for his contributions to Islamic jurisprudence.
The surname Azimi has also been borne by notable academics and intellectuals, such as Fakhreddin Azimi, an Iranian historian and professor born in 1918, who specialized in the study of Islamic and Iranian history, and Navid Azimi, a contemporary Iranian-American writer and academic, born in 1963, known for his works on Iranian literature and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Azimi
Among Census respondents with the surname Azimi, the largest self-reported group is White at 43.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.8%) and Two or More Races (19.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Azimi 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 Azimi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White43.0% · 571
- Asian and Pacific Islander34.8% · 462
- Two or more races19.1% · 254
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 29
- Black or African American0.8% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Azimi
Azimi 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
#28,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 829
+205 bearers (+32.9%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 5,613 places
2020
#20,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,327
+498 bearers (+60.1%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 8,459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,342 | 624 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,729 | 829 | 0.28 | +205 bearers (+32.9%) | Up 5,613 places |
| 2020 | #20,270 | 1,327 | 0.44 | +498 bearers (+60.1%) | Up 8,459 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 Azimi 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 | #28,729 | #20,270 | 29.4% |
| Count | 829 | 1,327 | 60.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.44 | 58.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Azimi bearers went from 829 to 1,327 (+60.1% change). The surname moved up 8,459 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,729 to #20,270.
FAQ
Azimi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Azimi?
Name Census estimates that about 1,522 living Americans carry the surname Azimi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 225,200 residents.
How common is Azimi?
Azimi ranks #20,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.44 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 1,327 people with the surname Azimi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,522), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.44 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 Azimi.
Has Azimi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Azimi went from 829 recorded bearers to 1,327. That is an increase of 498 (+60.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #28,729 to #20,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Azimi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Azimi, the largest self-reported group is White at 43.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.8%) and Two or More Races (19.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Azimi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.0% (571 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Azimi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (43.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (34.8%), Two or More Races (19.1%). 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 Azimi (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 Azimi mean?
A surname derived from the Arabic word "azim" meaning great or magnificent. 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 Azimi (0.44 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 Azimi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.