Daftari last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Daftari

A surname of South Asian origin, potentially derived from "daftar" meaning office or register.

Daftari, 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 Daftari surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Daftari in America

Daftari is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Daftari surname appeared 104 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 Daftari.

The history of the last name Daftari

The surname Daftari is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions of present-day India and Pakistan. The name is derived from the Persian word "daftar," which means "office" or "register." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who were employed in administrative or clerical roles, such as record-keepers or scribes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Daftari can be traced back to the 16th century during the Mughal Empire, which ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the early 16th to the mid-19th century. During this period, the Mughals employed a vast bureaucracy, and individuals with surnames like Daftari may have held positions in the imperial administration.

In the 17th century, the name Daftari appeared in various official documents and records maintained by the Mughal court. One notable individual bearing this surname was Mirza Abdul Baqi Daftari, a prominent poet and calligrapher who lived during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707).

As the British East India Company established its presence in India in the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Daftari was also found in records and documents maintained by the colonial administration. For instance, Ghulam Haider Daftari (1767-1842) was a prominent Persian scholar and linguist who worked as a translator for the British East India Company.

Another notable figure with the surname Daftari was Mirza Muhammad Rafi Daftari (1795-1868), a renowned Persian poet and scholar who served as the court poet to the Nawab of Awadh (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) during the 19th century.

In the 20th century, the name Daftari continued to be present in various parts of South Asia. One notable individual was Maulana Mohammad Zaid Daftari (1901-1972), a prominent Islamic scholar and theologian from Pakistan who played a significant role in the country's religious and educational institutions.

Over time, individuals with the surname Daftari have migrated to different parts of the world, carrying their ancestral name and contributing to the cultural diversity of various societies. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the Indian subcontinent, where it was associated with administrative and clerical roles during the eras of the Mughal Empire and British colonial rule.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Daftari

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

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 Daftari was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 31.73% 33
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 55.77% 58
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 9.62% 10
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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.

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

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

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"Daftari last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 4, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/daftari-surname-popularity/.

"Daftari last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/daftari-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 July, 2025

Daftari last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/daftari-surname-popularity/.

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