2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bastani
An Iranian surname derived from the Persian word "Bastan" meaning "to weave" or "to tie."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 288 Americans carry the last name Bastani. That puts it at #81,311 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,190,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bastani 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
288
1 in 1,190,119
Census rank
#81,311
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
251
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 251 bearers of the surname Bastani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81311th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bastani, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bastani
The surname BASTANI is believed to have originated in Iran, with its roots dating back to the ancient Persian Empire. The name is derived from the Persian word "bast," which means "garden" or "orchard," and the suffix "-ani," indicating origin or association.
In the early days of the Persian Empire, the BASTANI surname was likely associated with individuals who worked in gardens, orchards, or agricultural settings. It may have been initially used as a descriptive name to identify people based on their occupation or place of residence.
Historical records suggest that the BASTANI name was present in various regions of ancient Persia, including present-day Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of Central Asia. The earliest known mention of the name can be traced back to ancient Persian manuscripts and documents, though the exact dates are uncertain.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the BASTANI surname was Fakhreddin Bastani, a renowned Persian poet and scholar who lived during the 13th century. His works, which primarily focused on Sufism and mystical poetry, greatly influenced the literary landscape of the time.
Another notable figure was Mirza Mohammad Reza Bastani, a prominent Iranian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Iran from 1891 to 1892. He played a significant role in the modernization efforts of the Qajar dynasty and was instrumental in establishing diplomatic ties with various European nations.
In the realm of science, Hossein Bastani, a 20th-century Iranian physicist and academician, made significant contributions to the field of particle physics. He was widely recognized for his research on quantum chromodynamics and served as a professor at the University of Tehran.
The BASTANI name has also been associated with various place names in Iran, such as Bastani Village in the province of Isfahan. This suggests that the surname may have originated from a specific geographic location or region within the country.
Throughout history, the BASTANI surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, artists, politicians, and scientists. While the name has its roots in ancient Persia, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bastani
Among Census respondents with the surname Bastani, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bastani 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 Bastani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 195
- Two or more races14.7% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 7
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bastani
Bastani 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
#91,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
+58 bearers (+40.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 22,185 places
2020
#81,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 251
+51 bearers (+25.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 10,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,981 | 200 | 0.07 | +58 bearers (+40.8%) | Up 22,185 places |
| 2020 | #81,311 | 251 | 0.08 | +51 bearers (+25.5%) | Up 10,670 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 Bastani 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 | #91,981 | #81,311 | 11.6% |
| Count | 200 | 251 | 25.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.08 | 20.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bastani bearers went from 200 to 251 (+25.5% change). The surname moved up 10,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,981 to #81,311.
FAQ
Bastani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bastani?
Name Census estimates that about 288 living Americans carry the surname Bastani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,190,119 residents.
How common is Bastani?
Bastani ranks #81,311 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 251 people with the surname Bastani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (288), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Bastani.
Has Bastani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bastani went from 200 recorded bearers to 251. That is an increase of 51 (+25.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #91,981 to #81,311.
What does the Census say about the background of Bastani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bastani, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Bastani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (195 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bastani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Two or More Races (14.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Bastani (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 Bastani mean?
An Iranian surname derived from the Persian word "Bastan" meaning "to weave" or "to tie." 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 Bastani (0.08 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 Bastani?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.