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

Bakhtiar, 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 Bakhtiar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bakhtiar in America

Bakhtiar is the 106096th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bakhtiar surname appeared 168 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 Bakhtiar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bakhtiar 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 Bakhtiar

The surname Bakhtiar originates from Persia, now modern-day Iran, and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Persian word "bakht," meaning "fortune" or "destiny," and the suffix "-iyar," meaning "possessor" or "owner." Essentially, Bakhtiar translates to "fortunate one" or "owner of destiny."

The name has its roots in the Bakhtiari tribe, a prominent Iranian nomadic group that has inhabited the Zagros Mountains of southwestern Iran for centuries. This tribe played a significant role in the region's history and was known for its bravery and military prowess.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Bakhtiar can be found in the epic Persian poem "Shahnameh" (Book of Kings), written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The poem recounts the story of a legendary hero named Bakhtiar, who was celebrated for his courage and valor.

In the 12th century, the name Bakhtiar gained further prominence when a Turkic military commander named Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji led the Muslim conquest of Bengal and established the Turkic dynasty in the region. His conquests and subsequent rule significantly impacted the cultural and political landscape of Bengal.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Bakhtiar, including:

1. Saladin Ayoub Bakhtiar (1281-1322), a Persian poet and mystic known for his contributions to Sufi literature.
2. Mirza Mohammad Bakhtiar (1891-1992), an Iranian diplomat and scholar who served as Iran's ambassador to various countries, including France and Spain.
3. Hossein Bakhtiar (1912-1982), an Iranian general and politician who briefly served as the last prime minister of Iran under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi before the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
4. Naser Bakhtiar (1917-1993), an Iranian politician and diplomat who held several important positions, including serving as the governor of Khuzestan province and Iran's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
5. Mariam Bakhtiar (born 1976), a French-Iranian writer and journalist known for her works on Islamic feminism and women's rights in the Muslim world.

The surname Bakhtiar has also been associated with various place names in Iran, such as Bakhtiari County and Bakhtiari Mountains, reflecting the historical presence and influence of the Bakhtiari tribe in those regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bakhtiar

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

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 Bakhtiar 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 Bakhtiar 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 Bakhtiar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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