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

Fatima, 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 Fatima surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fatima in America

Fatima is the 15959th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fatima surname appeared 1,820 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fatima.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fatima 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 Fatima

Fatima is a surname with origins tracing back to the Arab world. It is derived from the Arabic name Fatimah, which was the name of the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The name Fatimah itself is derived from the Arabic root word "fatm," which means to wean or to be weaned.

The surname Fatima likely emerged in the medieval period, as the spread of Islam brought Arabic names and influences to various regions. It is believed to have originated in areas such as the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Fatima can be found in the 13th century, when a scholar named Muhammad ibn Fatima al-Hamadhani lived in the city of Hama, Syria. Another notable early bearer of the surname was the 14th-century Andalusian poet Ibn al-Fatima, whose full name was Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Fatima al-Ansari.

In the 15th century, the surname Fatima appeared in records from the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the context of the Moriscos, who were Muslims and former Muslims living in Spain and Portugal after the Reconquista. One example is Fatima Bint Al-Mulk, a Morisco woman who lived in Granada in the late 15th century.

As the surname spread across different regions, it took on various spellings and forms, such as Fatmi, Fatimi, and Fatemah, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of those areas.

Notable historical figures with the surname Fatima include:

1. Fatima al-Fihri (born c. 800), a Muslim woman who founded the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University in Fez, Morocco, considered the oldest continuously operating university in the world.

2. Fatima al-Batayhi (died 1459), a Moroccan scholar and poet known for her expertise in Islamic law and Arabic literature.

3. Fatima Sultan (1592-1670), an Ottoman princess and daughter of Sultan Ahmed I, who commissioned the Fatma Sultan Mosque in Istanbul.

4. Fatima Mernissi (1940-2015), a Moroccan feminist writer and sociologist, known for her works on women's rights and Islam.

5. Fatima Jinnah (1893-1967), a Pakistani politician and dental surgeon, who played a prominent role in the movement for an independent Pakistan and was the sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the surname Fatima across various regions, cultures, and fields, reflecting its deep-rooted origins and enduring legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fatima

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

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

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

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