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

Enayati, 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 Enayati surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Enayati in America

Enayati is the 145220th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Enayati surname appeared 114 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 Enayati.

We can also compare 2010 data for Enayati 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 Enayati

The surname Enayati has its origins in Persian, with the word "Enayat" meaning grace, blessing, or divine favor. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it was derived from the given name of an ancestor. The name likely emerged in the 9th or 10th century AD among Persian-speaking populations in what is now Iran.

Early records of the name can be found in medieval Persian manuscripts and historical texts, particularly those documenting the lives of prominent scholars, poets, and religious figures. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Enayat-Allah Esfahani, a renowned 12th-century Persian philosopher and mystic.

During the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736), the name Enayati gained prominence among the religious and intellectual elite of Persia. Notable individuals from this period include Mirza Mohammad Enayati, a 16th-century poet and calligrapher, and Mirza Enayat-Allah Khan Ahmadi, a 17th-century statesman and ambassador.

As the Persian diaspora spread across the Middle East and Central Asia, the surname Enayati could be found in various regions. In the 19th century, Enayat-Allah Enayati was a prominent Afghan scholar and poet who served as the chief tutor to the royal court in Kabul.

Another notable figure was Enayat-Allah Khan Enayati, a 19th-century Iranian diplomat and ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. His memoirs provide valuable insights into the political and cultural dynamics of the time.

During the 20th century, several individuals with the surname Enayati made significant contributions in various fields. Hossein Enayati was an Iranian philosopher and academic who specialized in Islamic philosophy and mysticism (born 1938).

Hamid Enayati was an Iranian-American philosopher and author, known for his works on Islamic philosophy and comparative religion (1927-1988). Masumeh Enayati was an Iranian painter and sculptor who played a crucial role in the development of modern art in Iran (1927-2006).

These are just a few examples of the diverse individuals who have carried the surname Enayati throughout history, reflecting its Persian origins and the significant contributions made by those bearing this name in various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Enayati

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

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

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

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