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

Cashmere, 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 Cashmere surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cashmere in America

Cashmere is the 89069th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cashmere surname appeared 208 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 Cashmere.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cashmere 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 Cashmere

The surname Cashmere originated in the Kashmir region of northern India. It traces its roots back to the Sanskrit word "kashmira," which referred to the inhabitants of the Kashmir Valley. The name is derived from the words "ka" meaning water and "shmira" meaning desiccated or dried up, likely referring to the arid climate of the region.

In the 14th century, the Kashmir region was renowned for producing luxurious woolen fabrics known as cashmere. These fine textiles were highly prized and traded throughout Asia and Europe, leading the name Cashmere to become associated with the textiles and the Kashmir region itself.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Cashmere can be found in historical documents from the 16th century, when Kashmiri artisans and merchants began migrating to other parts of India and beyond. Notable individuals bearing the Cashmere surname include Ghulam Nabi Cashmere, a renowned Kashmiri poet born in 1825, and Mir Sher Ali Cashmere, a distinguished Kashmiri scholar and historian born in 1854.

As the cashmere textile trade flourished, the surname spread throughout the Indian subcontinent and eventually to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, the Cashmere surname appeared in British colonial records, reflecting the migration of Kashmiri individuals to various regions under British rule.

One notable figure with the Cashmere surname was Sir Hari Singh Cashmere (1867-1942), a prominent Kashmiri politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir from 1925 to 1927. Another significant individual was Begum Zafar Jahan Cashmere (1873-1962), an influential Kashmiri educator and social reformer who established several schools and advocated for women's education.

The Cashmere surname has also been associated with various place names throughout history. For example, the town of Cashmere in Washington State, USA, was named in honor of the Kashmir region and its renowned textiles. Additionally, the Cashmere Hills in New Zealand were named after the luxurious fabric, reflecting the global recognition of the Cashmere name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cashmere

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

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

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

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