2000
#42,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 486
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Rare Last name
Elahi
Of Arabic origin, signifying divine or godly.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,119 Americans carry the last name Elahi. That puts it at #26,353 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 306,304 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elahi 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Elahi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 306,304
Census rank
#26,353
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
976
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 976 bearers of the surname Elahi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26353rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elahi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 62.1%. The next largest groups are White (23.2%) and Black (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elahi
The surname "ELAHI" is of Arabic origin, and it is believed to have first emerged in the Middle East during the 7th century AD, around the time of the Islamic conquests. The name is derived from the Arabic word "Elah," which translates to "God" or "the Divine." This suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals or families who were closely associated with religious or spiritual pursuits.
In the early Islamic era, the surname ELAHI was primarily found in regions such as modern-day Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria, where Arabic culture and language had a strong influence. As the Islamic empires expanded, the name spread to other parts of the Middle East and North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ELAHI can be found in a 9th-century manuscript from Baghdad, which mentions a scholar named Abu Bakr al-Elahi. This document provides valuable insight into the use of the name during the Abbasid Caliphate.
During the medieval period, the ELAHI surname appeared in various historical records and chronicles across the Islamic world. For instance, a 12th-century manuscript from Andalusia (modern-day Spain) mentions a prominent poet and philosopher named Ibn al-Elahi.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the surname ELAHI was Shams al-Din al-Elahi, a renowned Sufi mystic and scholar from Persia (modern-day Iran). His teachings and writings had a significant impact on the development of Sufism and Islamic philosophy.
Another prominent individual with the ELAHI surname was Mirza Mehdi Khan Elahi Nuri, a 19th-century Persian statesman and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Persia during the Qajar dynasty.
In the 20th century, one of the most renowned figures with the surname ELAHI was Ostad Elahi (1895-1974), a renowned philosopher, musician, and spiritual teacher from Iran. His teachings focused on the unity of religious truth and the importance of self-knowledge and ethical conduct.
It is worth noting that the surname ELAHI has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout the Middle East and North Africa. For example, the town of Elahi in modern-day Iran and the Elahi Mountains in Yemen are believed to have derived their names from individuals or families bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elahi
Among Census respondents with the surname Elahi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 62.1%. The next largest groups are White (23.2%) and Black (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Elahi 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 Elahi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander62.1% · 606
- White23.2% · 226
- Black or African American6.6% · 64
- Two or more races6.5% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elahi
Elahi 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
#32,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 719
+233 bearers (+47.9%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 9,977 places
2020
#26,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 976
+257 bearers (+35.7%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Up 5,726 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,056 | 486 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,079 | 719 | 0.24 | +233 bearers (+47.9%) | Up 9,977 places |
| 2020 | #26,353 | 976 | 0.33 | +257 bearers (+35.7%) | Up 5,726 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 Elahi 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 | #32,079 | #26,353 | 17.8% |
| Count | 719 | 976 | 35.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.33 | 36.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elahi bearers went from 719 to 976 (+35.7% change). The surname moved up 5,726 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,079 to #26,353.
FAQ
Elahi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elahi?
Name Census estimates that about 1,119 living Americans carry the surname Elahi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 306,304 residents.
How common is Elahi?
Elahi ranks #26,353 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.33 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 976 people with the surname Elahi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.33 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 Elahi.
Has Elahi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elahi went from 719 recorded bearers to 976. That is an increase of 257 (+35.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #32,079 to #26,353.
What does the Census say about the background of Elahi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elahi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 62.1%. The next largest groups are White (23.2%) and Black (6.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Elahi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.1% (606 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elahi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (62.1%), White (23.2%), Black (6.6%). 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 Elahi (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 Elahi mean?
Of Arabic origin, signifying divine or godly. 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 Elahi (0.33 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 are called Elahi?
See how many people have the last name Elahi on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.