2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Davari
A Persian surname meaning "person employed in a government office or court."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 318 Americans carry the last name Davari. That puts it at #75,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,077,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davari 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
318
1 in 1,077,844
Census rank
#75,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
277
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 277 bearers of the surname Davari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 75111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davari, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.0%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davari
The surname Davari originates from Iran and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Persian word "davar," which means "judge" or "arbiter." The name likely originated in the city of Isfahan, a cultural and economic hub during the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Davari name appears in a 17th-century Persian manuscript detailing the lineage of prominent families in Isfahan. This document mentions a certain Mirza Ali Davari, a respected jurist and scholar who served as a judge during the reign of Shah Abbas I (1588-1629).
In the 18th century, the Davari family gained prominence in the city of Shiraz, where they produced several notable poets and calligraphers. One such figure was Mirza Mohammad Reza Davari (1753-1823), a renowned calligrapher whose works adorned the walls of mosques and shrines across Iran.
During the Qajar dynasty (1789-1925), the Davari name spread to other parts of Iran, particularly the capital city of Tehran. A prominent member of this era was Mirza Hossein Khan Davari (1828-1895), a statesman and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and Russia.
In the early 20th century, a number of Davari individuals played significant roles in the Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911), which aimed to establish a constitutional monarchy in Iran. One such figure was Mirza Jahangir Khan Davari (1878-1941), a writer and political activist who advocated for democratic reforms.
Another notable Davari was Reza Davari Ardakani (1886-1937), a prominent cleric and scholar who founded the Feyzieh Seminary in Qom, one of the most prestigious religious institutions in Iran. His legacy continues through the numerous students he taught and the theological works he produced.
As the Davari name spread beyond Iran, it also gained recognition in other parts of the world. For instance, Mahmoud Davari (born 1947) is a renowned Iranian-American architect and academic, known for his contributions to sustainable design and urban planning.
Overall, the Davari surname has a rich history rooted in Iran's cultural and intellectual traditions, with members of this family making significant contributions across various fields, including law, literature, diplomacy, religion, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davari
Among Census respondents with the surname Davari, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.0%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Davari 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 Davari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 209
- Two or more races13.0% · 36
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 7
- Black or African American2.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davari
Davari 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
+50 bearers (+33.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 17,347 places
2020
#75,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 277
+77 bearers (+38.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 16,870 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,981 | 200 | 0.07 | +50 bearers (+33.3%) | Up 17,347 places |
| 2020 | #75,111 | 277 | 0.09 | +77 bearers (+38.5%) | Up 16,870 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 Davari 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 | #75,111 | 18.3% |
| Count | 200 | 277 | 38.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.09 | 32.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davari bearers went from 200 to 277 (+38.5% change). The surname moved up 16,870 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,981 to #75,111.
FAQ
Davari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davari?
Name Census estimates that about 318 living Americans carry the surname Davari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,077,844 residents.
How common is Davari?
Davari ranks #75,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 277 people with the surname Davari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (318), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Davari.
Has Davari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davari went from 200 recorded bearers to 277. That is an increase of 77 (+38.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #91,981 to #75,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Davari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davari, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.0%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Davari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Two or More Races (13.0%), Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Davari (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 Davari mean?
A Persian surname meaning "person employed in a government office or court." 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 Davari (0.09 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 have the last name Davari?
Want to know how many people have the surname Davari? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.